The emerging role of the Sociale Enterprise in an evolving context of trust, partnership and co-production with public organizations

In a context characterized by economic and social instability, a new generation of public policies aims at finding innovative solutions to manage public organizations through the promotion of trust and accountability. A new paradigm emerged to transform public administrations into more innovative and modern organizations with the aim of improving their functional and financial results. The crisis of the welfare state contributed to increase the capability to establish relationships not only within the public sector, but also through collaboration with organizations from other sectors, promoting a concept of co-production. Present research focuses the attention on the experience of “social enterprise,” defined as an operator in the social economy, whose main goal is to have a social impact rather than to make a profit for its owners or shareholders.