While economists start to measure the societal value of goods produced by households, sociologists are not able to explain and understand the generative mechanisms by which relational goods and social capital are produced. The attempts to measure the social added value, therefore, are approximate and sketchy. Since the crisis of our societies is not only economic but also and perhaps primarily relational, it becomes urgent to bridge these gaps and develop an appropriate way to measure/evaluate non the global "value" produced by Third Sector’s organizations, but, in particular, to focus the analysis on social capital, i.e. a trustworthy resource which people can rely upon in difficult times.
Keywords: Social Added Value, Relational Good, Social Capital, Third Sector, Social Crises