Sviluppo legale e ecosostenibile nelle aree svantaggiate del sud Italia: il ruolo delle imprese sociali

There is a growing perception that the support of social enterprises represents an important strategy to the range of contemporary challenges facing rural areas. The aim of this article is to analyze empirically the role that the social entreprises plays within a wider strategy for local development in the rural areas of southern Italy affected by the presence of organized crime and consequent widespread underdevelopment. The research is based on 20 in-depth interviews with leading actors of social agriculture in four regions: Puglia, Calabria, Campania and Sicily. The findings shows that social enterprises are relevant actors for change and social and economic development in the disvantaged rural areas. The research also shed light on several political, organizational and contextual factors that are of importance in enabling social enterprises to promove local development and in particular the role of competencies and public policies.