The fight against poverty in Spain: implementation and challenges of the Ingreso Minímo Vital

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the Minimum Vital Income (IMV) as a key instrument in combating poverty in Spain, with particular attention to the parliamentary debate preceding its approval. Methodology: This study offers a synthesis of social inclusion policies developed in recent decades and the conceptual frameworks shaping academic debates on minimun income schemes. It analyzes parliamentary arguments and evaluates procedural and substantive aspects of the IMV that could be improved. Results: The IMV’s design was shapened by the social emergency caused by the pandemic, which enable an unprecedented parliamentary consensus between opposing conceptions of poverty. The outcome was a compromise between a punitive-disicplinary approach, focused on labour activation, and assistentialist model that recognized the right to social protection but retains demanding bureacratic requirements. This ambivalence limits its transformative potential and reproduces exclusionary logics. Five years after its implementation, deficiencies in design, management, and coverage persist. Conclusions: Consolidating the IMV as an effective right requieres three priority actions: regulatory simplification, stronger inter-administrative coordination, and clear, accesible communication strategy to ensure its adaptation to the country’s social and territrial diversity.