Italy's third sector on consolidation course.
German Policy Studies › Vol. 1 Nbr. 2, May 2000
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Summary
Nonprofit organizations
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Italy's third sector on consolidation course.
Abstract
Until a few years ago, the organizations belonging to the third sector were relatively unknown to a large share of the population, to the media and probably also to the legislator. This is not the case anymore; in fact, nonprofit organizations have gained wider public attention; they are playing a more significant and increasingly autonomous role in the Italian welfare state. Introduction Over the last decade, the Italian society devoted a great amount of attention to the so called Third Sector. Until a few years ago, the organizations belonging to this sector were relatively unknown to a large share of the population, to the media and probably to the legislator himself. This is not the case anymore; in fact, nonprofit organizations have gained wider public attention and now play a more significant (and increasingly autonomous) role in the Italian welfare state. Although statistical data are still missing, a common feeling is that nonprofit organizations are growing in number and strength, therefore gaining a more significant role in the Italian economic and social landscape. Several factors explain this new attitude toward nonprofit organizations: first of all, changes in the demographic, social, economic and legal environment have to be mentioned. Thanks to a significant increase in the average life expectancy and because of a rapidly declining birth rate, the Italian population is growing older. Moreover, while the country is still confronted with a very high unemployment rate, the number of women with a full-time job is now significantly higher than just a few years ago, especially in northern higher than just a few years ago, especially in northern Italy. These changes in the age structure of the population and in women's access to the labor market generated a whole set of new needs (from children's care to care of the elderly) that the public welfare system has not been able to tackle rapidly. These needs are now generating (although to a quite limited level) demand for new services that are provided neither by the 'state' nor the 'market'. Moreover, private (and public) demand for services is also growing in areas not closely related to the traditional welfare sector, such as the cu...See the full content of this document
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