SOCIAL POLICIES AND THE NONPROFIT SECTOR IN ITALY - A CRITIQUE OF THEIDEOLOGIES OF CONTRACTING OUT

On the basis of analysis of the Italian situation, this article presen ts some general considerations on certain theoretical issues arising f rom the development of modern systems of welfare-mix. According to a c onviction now institutionalized in numerous countries, the introductio n of formalized contracts should play a crucial role in creating coope ration between the public and non-profit sectors in social services de livery, thereby enabling full advantage to be taken of the strategic-m anagerial abilities of non-profit agencies while allowing government a pparatuses to conduct appropriate supervision. Contrary to expectation s, however, it seems that the introduction of contracts has not revita lized the welfare system. Indeed, these contracts tend to give rise to the progressive cultural 'colonization' of solidarist organizations b y the public bureaucracy. In order to launch an effective welfare-mix system, modernization is required not only of the forms of contracting but also of the mentality governing the entire bargaining process. Th e article analyses the reasons for this failure and proposes a number of solutions that might produce more efficient and effective policies.