From October 22 to 25, Turin will host the fifth edition of the International Festival of Economics, this year dedicated to the theme “Saving the Welfare State”. Torino Social Impact will take part in the programme, bringing to the discussion the role of the social economy, finance and collaboration among different actors in developing new responses to the transformations of welfare.

From October 22 to 25, the International Festival of Economics returns to Turin. The 2026 edition will focus on the theme “Saving the Welfare State”. Four days of meetings and discussions will explore the future of a distinctive feature of the European model, now challenged by demographic change, transformations in the world of work, growing inequalities and emerging social needs.

In this context, the social economy can offer a key perspective: not only as a response to fragilities, but as a space for experimenting with different ways of creating value, placing people, local needs and the development of collective solutions at the centre.

Torino Social Impact will take part in the Festival through a series of discussions dedicated to the contribution the social economy can make to building new models of development and welfare.

Finance for the Social Economy

On October 23 at 9:30 AM, at Collegio Carlo Alberto, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, in collaboration with the Social Entrepreneurship Committee of the Turin Chamber of Commerce – Torino Social Impact, will organise the discussion “Finance for the Social Economy”.

The event will focus on financial instruments capable of supporting social economy actors and fostering their development, starting from the new framework outlined by the National Action Plan for the Social Economy and the role that finance can play in strengthening a sector that is increasingly relevant to the competitiveness and cohesion of the economic system.

Among the speakers will be Mario Calderini, spokesperson for Torino Social Impact, who will bring the perspective of the Turin ecosystem and the work developed over the years at the intersection of impact, innovation, finance and the social economy.

The event will also feature contributions from Lucia Albano, joining remotely, Massimiliano Cipolletta, Stefano Granata, Domenico Lombardi, Dario Scannapieco and Francesca Sofia.

The discussion comes at a particularly significant moment for the social economy: alongside the development of policies and new business models, there is a growing need for financial instruments suited to the characteristics and objectives of impact-driven organisations, creating the conditions to consolidate and expand their activities.

Discover the “Finance for the Social Economy” event

The Social Economy at the Festival Square

During the Festival, the Social Table in Galleria Subalpina will give space to the visions and practices of the ecosystem: different experiences that have long been experimenting with innovative ways of creating value, responding to local needs and contributing to new perspectives for the future of the welfare state.

The Social Table will provide an opportunity to reflect on the role of the social economy not as a residual response to the system’s fragilities, but as a force capable of shaping a new concept of prosperity, orienting the economy towards the creation of value for society.

Programme

(being updated)

Friday, October 23, from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Social Table | Festival Square | Galleria Subalpina

Curated by Torino Social Impact

AT THE SOCIAL TABLE: VISIONS, EXPERTISE AND COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

With Order of Chartered Accountants and Accounting Experts of Turin, Turin Bar Association, Order of Labour Consultants of Turin, Notarial Council of the United Districts of Turin and Pinerolo, Fondazione Allegra Agnelli per la Ricerca sul Cancro ETS, Intesa Sanpaolo, Cottino Social Impact Campus

Is the future of a territory something to be predicted, or something to be built together? What role can visions, professionals and specialist expertise play in shaping the social economy?

The Professional Orders and the Torino Social Impact Communities of Practice will discuss territorial transformations and the tools needed to support communities, starting from the Torino 2030 Metropolitan Social Economy Plan.