Social Impact of Work Inclusion Pathways

A solution by Associazione Isnet submitted to Next mission: inclusion

Social impact analysis of work inclusion pathways in social cooperatives

(Pitched: 14/07/2018)

One Page Summary

Work inclusion of disadvantaged people in social cooperatives requires assistance pathway. However, some social cooperatives do not accompany the disadvantaged worker in developping skills and assuming responsibilities. This happens especially when social cooperatives employ disadvantaged people in response to new commercial orders generated by new customers.
To limit this practice and induce social cooperatives to use assistance pathways, it is necessary to demonstrate the importance of this approach (for the worker, the customers and the social cooperative itself).



The solution aims to carry out a social impact analysis of the accompaniment pathway used in Spazio Aperto (social cooperative owner of the challenge). The analysis will be run through the use of the "Theory of Change". With social impact analysis it is possible to study the effects and changes, obtained with a specific activity (in this case, the accompaniment pathway). Infact, Social Impact is defined as the outcomes gained by stakeholders, with some adjustments:
• Deadweight: amount of outcome that would have happened even if the activity had not taken place.
• Attribution: how much of the outcome was caused by the contribution of other organisations or people.
• Drop off: the deterioration of an outcome over time.
• Displacement: assessment of how much of the outcome has displaced other outcomes.





To carry out the study, it will be necessary to involve the stakeholders (social cooperative and employees, disadvantaged workers, customers). In Italy, social impact analysis experiences are very few and, generally, with theoretical cut. Instead, for the past five years, Isnet Association has been working on social impact research with a strong focus on innovation, focusing on practical approaches that allow the generation of effective strategies. In this way, ISNET has developed a model very concrete.

ISNET model is already tested with:
• a study on the impact of work inclusion of disadvantaged people;
• a study on a circular economy;
• a study on a refugee and asylum seeker.
The first study was carried out at national level (Italy), the second in Bergamo (Italy) and the third in Reggio Emilia (Italy). The strength of the model is that the managers of the activities under analysis are not mere spectators or clients of the study, but actively participate, acquiring skills and knowledge for the understanding and exploitation of results. Currently the model is already in the up-scaling phase.

The feasibility of the solution is guaranteed at least by three aspects:
- ISNET network: 520 social cooperative of type B
- Link with for profit companies (potential customers of social cooperatives) located in Milan and all over Italy. ISNET is in relationship with entrepreneurs associations all over Italy.
- Link with public administration (local, regional and national authorities)
- More than 50 research project carried out in the last 10 years.