Imprese sociali e rapporti con la comunità locale: radicamento, legittimazione, rappresentanza

Social enterprises and relationships with the local community: embeddedness, legitimisation and representation - The local embeddedness of social enterprises, within community-based contexts and networks, is generally taken for granted. Yet, empirical research on the matter in Italy is still poor. Even theoretical analyses often follow a prescriptive approach, as if community networking and social capital generation were natural properties of such organizations. The article elaborates on a few theoretical categories which can be helpful in operationalizing and empirically testing the third sector’s ties with local communities - whether in the start-up or during the life course of social enterprises. A case study on an EU-led funding initiative involving social enterprises is then analyzed. Special attention is given to the role of "intermediary bodies", representative of the civil society at local level. This allows for a critical reflection on the potential and the limits of partnerships between public authorities and social enterprises. As far as these enterprises state, and as they aree expected to participate in local policy-making processes, some key dilemmas emerge, such as the tension between advocacy and policybuilding, or between the representation of local civil society and their active involvement in public policies. Finally, a balance is provided of the prospects for a more "community oriented" model of social enterprise to be developed across the country.

Keywords: Social Enterprises, Community, Social Capital, Organizational Networks, Participation in The Policy-Making Process.

Maurizio Ambrosini, Paolo Boccagni, Imprese sociali e rapporti con la comunità locale: radicamento, legittimazione, rappresentanza in "PARTECIPAZIONE E CONFLITTO" 3/2009, pp 147-169, DOI: 10.3280/PACO2009-003009