1,720,997 research outputs found
Did You Say "Social Impact"? Welfare Transformations, Networks of Expertise, and the Financialization of Italian Welfare
Full text linkThe article contributes to research on the role of expertise in shaping the transformations of welfare states. Looking at the Italian welfare state as a case study, it analyses the different networks of expertise that have developed along the transformations of Italian welfare in the last 30 years: from the rise of Welfare Mix (a combination of quasi-market of social services and participatory social planning at the local scale) in the 1990s, up to its crisis, and through the current tendency toward its financialization. The article analyses the diffusion of the discourse and practice of Social Impact Investing (SII) in Italy and, in particular, it focuses on the elaboration of a new measurement tool aimed at measuring the “social impact” of non-profit organizations. In doing so, the article shows that different networks of expertise, developed in different phases of welfare transformations, co-exist and converge on the idea that “social impact matters,” but differ and conflict around how “social impact” should be defined and measured. The prevailing of a network rooted in the Welfare Mix has slowed the penetration of SII, but also reinforced the fragmentation of the field
Tradurre, occultare, contestare. Problemi dell'expertise nelle politiche sociali contemporanee
No full textExperts and systems of expertise play an increasingly significant role in social policy. Despite technocratic utopias of perfectly neutral knowledge and pol- icy-making, ethical and political values and choices stand at the core of policy and policy-making. The article reviews and discusses recent developments of critical studies on experts and expertise, with a specific eye on social policy
L’expertise che cambia lo Stato. Conoscenza, esperti e trasformazione dell’azione pubblica
No full textIl tema del ruolo di esperti ed expertise nelle nostre società e del loro rapporto con la sfera politico-amministrativa e con la società civile ha rivelato la sua importanza – da ultimo – nelle dinamiche socio-politiche
e nel dibattito pubblico seguiti all’esplosione della sindemia Covid-1
Heteronomy reloaded. Tensions and transformations in the field of welfare expertise in post-2008 crisis. The case of Milan, Italy
No full textThis article draws on seven years of empirical research on the role of expertise in contemporary public action to examine the tensions and transformations in welfare expertis
Comunità, impresa, responsabilità. Processi di neoliberalizzazione del welfare italiano
No full textLa finanziarizzazione del welfare. Social impact investing, fondazioni filantropiche e nuove frontiere di accumulazione capitalistica
No full textThe article identifies and analyses the process of financialization of welfare in the context of the rise of Social Impact Investing. Building on a wide international debate, it aims at pushing the analysis of the Italian case further and it focuses specifically on the intersections between philanthropic and financial actors and tools.
In this perspective, two policy tools are analysed and discussed – the Integrated System of Funds (SIF), for Social Housing and the Social Impact Bond – that exemplifies such intersection. While they differ under many respects, they also share some common blindspots and contradictions, already highlighted in the literature on finacialization. While they open up new space for capital accumulation in the realm of social policies, they pose significant problems in terms of governance, accountability, public finance and incentives to the Non-Profit Sector.
The article suggests that such critical aspects of the phenomenon should carefully be considered not only in the academic but also in the public debate on Social Impact Investing
Salvati dalla finanza? Analisi empiriche e prospettive critiche sulla finanziarizzazione del welfare e del benessere
No full textNew philanthropy, social impact and social work: insights from the Italian case = Nuova filantropia, impatto sociale e lavoro sociale: Approfondimenti dal caso italiano
No full textL’articolo si propone di suggerire due diversi scenari di trasformazione delle politiche sociali e del lavoro sociale in Italia in relazione all’emergere di nuove tendenze nel settore filantropico. Negli ultimi due decenni, un crescente corpo di letteratura ha evidenziato il cambiamento che sta interessando la filantropia a livello globale sotto l’influenza della cosiddetta Venture Philanthropy e dell’Impact Investing. Tratti distintivi di questa ‘nuova filantropia’ sono la combinazione dei principi e degli strumenti della benevolenza con quelli derivanti dal mercato e dal settore finanziario, nonché il ruolo svolto dalla competenza scientifica e dalla valutazione nel legittimare attori e attività. Basandoci sull’analisi di documenti, su interviste e sull’osservazione partecipante, mostriamo come queste caratteristiche stanno prendendo forma nel campo delle politiche sociali e del lavoro sociale in Italia. La promozione del Social Impact Investing e il connesso dibattito sulla misurazione dell’impatto sociale sono gli elementi più significativi attraverso i quali stanno acquistando rilevanza nuovi attori e principi filantropici. Tuttavia, i loro effetti trasformativi sulle politiche e i servizi sociali non sono ancora chiari e pertanto suggeriamo che l’ibridazione e la desocializzazione sono due possibili scenari per la trasformazione del dominio sociale.The article aims to suggest two different scenarios for the transformation of social policy and social work in Italy in relation with the emergence of new trends in the philanthropic sector. Over the past two decades, a growing body of literature has pointed to the shift that philanthropy is undergoing at the global level under the influence of Venture Philanthropy and Impact Investing. Distinctive features of this ‘new philanthropy’ are the blending of the principles and tools of giving with those deriving from the market and the financial sector, as well as the role played by scientific expertise and assessment in legitimising actors and activities. Relying on document analysis, interviews and participant observation, we show how these features are taking shape in the field of social policy and social work in Italy. The promotion of social impact investing and the connected debate on social impact measurement are the most significant elements through which new philanthropic actors and principles are gaining relevance. Nevertheless, their actual capacity to transform social policy and social work is still unclear and we therefore suggest that hybridisation and desocialisation are two possible scenarios for the transformation of the social domain
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