Enterprising Communities in Italy

The complexity of economic, social and environmental challenges, the pandemic emergency first and the energy crisis now, are bringing out the need for a paradigm shift towards new models of development. In this context, new forms of active citizenship and bottom-up entrepreneurship are trying to respond to the increasingly pressing needs of communities, giving rise to initiatives such as community enterprises, energy communities, food co-ops, solidarity emporiums, neighborhood gatekeepers and many other organizational models. In the face of this rapidly and constantly evolving phenomenon, Euricse, which has long experience studying community enterprises, wanted to fix in a snapshot the new community-based proximity economies that are spreading in Italy.

Thus was born the first mapping of Enterprising Communities. This first Report focuses on nine types of Enterprising Communities that have already been identified, but the research will continue with the construction of a database into which new categories can be included and with the deepening through targeted analyses of the knowledge gathered so far. After the general mapping dedicated to studying the distinctive features and innovative elements of Enterprising Communities, the contexts that generate them and the main factors that explain their durability over time will be analyzed.

Through the “Enterprising Communities” project, officially launched in October 2020, Euricse wanted to officially map the rapidly and constantly evolving phenomenon in our country. The project has a multi-year basis, and sees, in addition to Euricse’s scientific commitment, the contribution and collaboration of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione CRC, Fondazione con il Sud, FondoSviluppo FVG and the Alliance of Italian Cooperatives.