Italy’s Third Sector Multilevel Organizations and Social Partnerships

In order to observe third sector contribution in terms of services, we need interpretative categories able to explain the morphogenesis of the phenomenon. Two of these are social capital and social partnerships, which offered a scientific background for a quantitative research study conducted in Italy on 110 nationally-based pro-social associations and multilevel organizations. The final results of this study highlight the capacity to create social capital, the differences between bonding and bridging social capital, and the role and meaning of both types of social capital within the associative sphere and in the production of services. The interrelation among different forms of social capital and the specific ability of third sector organizations to establish formal relationships with other actors within the social partnerships are analysed. In short, empirical data show a significant correlation between the existence of social capital and the emergence of social partnerships.