Multi-stakeholder alliances to address social challenges. A column curated by Torino Social Impact for Avvenire’s Economia Civile supplement.

Impact Territories is the title of a monthly column that, starting in September, Torino Social Impact will curate in the pages of L’Economia Civile, the biweekly supplement of Avvenire.

This editorial project is based on the idea that local contexts are where innovative responses to ongoing social transformations can most effectively emerge and develop. It is at the territorial level that needs and vulnerabilities become more visible, and where social economy organisations operate most extensively, combining the creation of economic value with the pursuit of objectives of collective interest.

This local dimension becomes even more important in the face of the growing complexity of the challenges affecting European societies: difficulties in accessing housing, employment instability among younger generations, population ageing, migration, new forms of poverty and widening inequalities. These dynamics put social cohesion under pressure and can also contribute to weakening citizens’ trust in democratic institutions.

Torino Social Impact will therefore take readers on a journey through Italian and European territorial experiences that have developed innovative solutions and tools based on multi-stakeholder collaboration. Challenges of this complexity cannot be addressed through the isolated action of a single actor. It is therefore necessary to build forms of cooperation between public administrations, businesses, financial operators and Third Sector organisations, bringing together resources, expertise and capacity for action.

The first issue of the column, published on September 9 and written by Raffaella Scalisi and Tommaso Tropeano, mapped some of the countries most advanced in this field and the concrete tools developed through these multi-stakeholder partnerships, including social impact bonds, pay by results and outcome funds.

Starting with the next issue, on newsstands on October 7, the journey through Impact Territories will explore places where multi-stakeholder solutions are taking shape, dedicating each issue to a major social challenge: housing, NEETs, ageing, urban regeneration, labour inclusion and more.

The column will also highlight some of the most advanced Italian experiences, within a context that still shows a significant gap, mainly due to the limited presence of impact investors, weak administrative capacities, and the lack of shared metrics and a widespread culture of evaluation.