Ecec policies between quality and quantity in Milan and Vienna: the implementation of the SI approach in two urban contexts

Ecec services are pivotal in enhancing short-term and long-term economic and social inclusion. The Social Investment perspective has highlighted this centrality shedding a light on how a high coverage of Ecec services and a high-quality impact increase the chances of employability of parents, especially mothers, and contribute to the development of a set of skills that children are likely to benefit from in their educational and occupational pathway. More in details, Ecec services contribute to these collective goals by providing worklife balance supports and investment in the human capital of children. These evidence, that are supported by a wide literature and research developed in various disciplines, have been challenged in their implementation by contextual factors, especially by territorialized features concerning governance, funding, services organization, but also cultural orientation towards care and education issues. This article, through a comparison between two cities, Vienna and Milan, attempts to highlight how these territorialized features affect the chances of implementing an Ecec services provision in line with the principles and goals of the Social Investment perspective.