Solidarity-based Economy in Italy. Practices for Social Entrepreneurship and Local Development: The Experience of Rome

The paper is divided into 2 sections. The first tries to shortly draw the framework of the Italian Third sector, focusing on the transformation of its definitions and role in the Italian dynamics.

The second defines the evolution of social enterprise and the increasing interest and support that public sector, especially at local level, concretized in the last years in a number of actions and projects able to create key tools and strategies to foster labour market integration and social inclusion.

The paper closes with the experience of the Public Unit of the City of Rome “Autopromozione Sociale”: a best practice in Italy and in Europe2 as regards supporting to social enterprises and non profit organizations in order to promote social responsibility and solidarity-based economy at local level and to active networking strategies that contribute to developing local development.