Philanthropy and Shifting Patterns of Welfare State Governance in Advanced Economy – the case of Italy

The chapter analyses the developments of philanthropic organizations in the field of social policies in Italy, highlighting in particular the increasing influence of Foundations of Banking Origin (FBOs) on governance and delivery domains. FBOs are the most important philanthropic institutions in Italy and they have played a crucial role in the development of the domestic third sector during the 1990s and 2000s, mainly through their granting activities. At the same time they have exerted a significant influence at the ideational level, both in terms of formats and of normative concepts, raising many questions concerning the issue of the relationship between the public and private in the domain of the welfare state. The chapter contributes to the analysis of this process through the empirical analysis of four different aspects, highlighting understand the main aspects, mechanisms and implications of the role of FBOs and linking them to a framework of more general and potentially radical changes in the welfare state.