WP 124 | 22 The Social Economy in Trentino: an overview of the characteristics and dimensions

For some years now, the topic of the social economy has been of growing interest in the public debate at the European, national and local levels. In the autonomous province of Trento, the realities active in this sphere, on the strength of the long cooperative tradition and the resourcefulness of civil society that has given rise to numerous voluntary organizations, social promotion associations, foundations or others, play a role of primary importance. However, it remains not unanimously defined what the boundaries of the social economy are and what its weight is in both the national and provincial economies.

That said, this paper, after outlining its boundaries, intends to delve into the salient features of the social economy in Trentino through data from Istat’s Permanent Census of Nonprofit Institutions in order to provide a picture from the point of view of the number and type of organizations involved, the human resources employed, the sectors involved and the economic value generated so that we can reflect on the contribution that the social economy can make to the Trentino economy.