Social cooperatives
Italy
Economic activity with an inclusion mission
Cooperative sociali
What the evidence shows
For type B, the rule requires at least 30% of workers to come from the defined population. This is a verifiable institutional requirement, not a causal estimate of jobs created. [1][2]
Type A social cooperatives provide social and educational services. Type B cooperatives combine economic activity and work integration for disadvantaged people, serving a legally defined population. [1][2]
Define the mission and target population
Combine work and economic activity
Check inclusion and job quality
Costs and delivery
Contribution incentives and public support exist. The cost per sustained work integration is not consolidated in this profile’s sources; commercial revenue does not imply an absence of subsidy. [1][2]
Limits of the comparison
Legal status and the number of organizations do not establish net employment or quality. Pay, retention, participant selection and dependence on contracts matter.
OpenGov3's interpretation
What it can teach Brazil
How can social solutions be commissioned with inclusion targets and financial transparency?
What to monitor when adapting it
- Participation of the intended population and quality of work integration
- Pay and retention of the people integrated into work
- Commercial revenue, public support and reliance on contracts
- Cost per sustained work integration, without attributing effects to the legal form
These are criteria for analysis, not commitments already made or estimated outcomes for Brazil. A well-documented practice is not, by itself, causal proof of an entire country's success.
Sources consulted
Consulted on 10/29/2026. Each result retains its observed period; institutional descriptions and impact evaluations have different scopes.
- Ministero del Lavoro — Cooperative sociali (opens in a new tab)
Labour Ministry page: the social cooperative framework under Law 381/1991; it does not estimate effects.
- OECD — Social Economy in Europe: Italy (opens in a new tab)
Institutional profile of Italy’s social economy; describes rules and context without estimating the causal effect of the legal form.