Building the welfare state has been a significant part of the building of the national states in the 20th century. The European welfare models were then adopted at the global level, but during their “institutional migration” process, they acquired the typical characteristics of the different Countries or geographical areas of destination. An iconic example of this process is Mexican welfare. Its multifaceted and original history prompts us to extend our analysis to new geographical areas, and to identify the similarities and differences with the European welfare model. In this respect, community welfare, which has been studied in depth by Mexican anthropologists, is particularly interesting, as it capitalizes on, and combines, social ties and responses to needs that the state has either never met or stopped meeting. This workshop aims to promote a debate among experts on welfare systems, based on the e-book “Los Otros Welfare. Esperienze storiche e forme di sicurezza sociale nel Messico contemporaneo (secolo XIX e XX)”, edited by Veronica Ronchi, FEEM Press, 2016. The e-book is freely downloadable here.