The article explores the trajectory of the flagship minimum income protection scheme in Portugal – the Social Insertion Income (SII) – over time. The aim is to discuss the role of socio-economic crises and changes in government as drivers of change. The literature shows that changes are influenced by multiple factors, a puzzle including socio-economic crises, new governments, and complex institutional dynamics. Adopting a qualitative longitudinal approach, the findings reveal that major alterations to SII, such as the 2003 reconfiguration and the 2011-2014 austerity measures, tended to occur under right-wing governments during critical periods. However, these shifts were also mediated by external actors, institutional constraints, and the reduced political visibility of the programme’s beneficiaries. During the pandemic and inflation crises, the government favored ad hoc, non-rights-based measures like one-off cash transfers, avoiding a structural expansion of the SII. This study contributes to the literature on minimum income protection by demonstrating how political, institutional, and ideational factors interact to gradually erode targeted welfare policies.

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Policy change,Minimum income protection,Social insertion Income,crisis,Portugal