Ilaria Madama is Associate Professor of Political Science in the Department of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Milan, where she teaches International political economy and the welfare state, EU politics and Work-family balance policies. She coordinates the academic minor program in “Diritti, Lavoro e Pari Opportunità – DiLPO” (Rights, work and equal opportunities) and the EuVisions Observatory (www.euvisions.eu). She is a member of the faculty of the Ph.D. program in Political Studies, University of Milan (2011- on going), and of the Scientific Committee of the Italian branch of the European Social Policy Network, ESPAnet-Italia. Her principal research areas are EU social governance and comparative social policy, with an interest in the political and institutional dynamics behind the development and reform of benefits, regulations and services across European countries in the fields of minimum income protection, social inclusion and work-life balance.