The Evolving Field of Social Economy in Italy: Continuity and Change

This chapter is intended to explore the in-between space of “new-generation social enterprises” (NGSEs) in Italy from a qualitative perspective. Starting from a rapid appraisal of the main developments of the social economy sector in the country, our main objective is to assess whether this perceived model of NGSE can in fact be legitimately identified as such, with behaviours (i.e. in governance, use of networks, values and driving forces, work styles) and needs that are different from previous conceptualizations of social enterprises in Italy. To this end, we analyse the impact of the 2008/2009 economic crisis on the country’s welfare system, and other national events which opened up a space of new generation for social entrepreneurship in Italy. A specific case study, L’Arcolaio Società Cooperativa Sociale in Sicily, will serve as a testing ground for our hypothesis: this new-generation space serves as an area of transition and crossing, rather than a space of birth or rebirth. It is a hybrid space, indeed, in which different trajectories and different instances of innovation intersect and coexist, some focused on employment-related issues and social inclusion of marginalized groups according to the traditional WISE approach, and others dedicated to emerging problems, especially environmental and ecological ones, according to the model we define as “protosocial” in the chapter.