Twenty years ago, the Italian-language journal Impresa Sociale embarked on a visionary and pioneering mission: that of promoting and assisting the development of the complex phenomenon that is the Italian non-profit sector. The journal has followed every step of the social and economic growth of this field, becoming more and more important and significant, just as social enterprises have.
The journal has thus become one of the most respected publications in its field. It has changed its editorial policy, format, graphics and approach over the years, but always with the purpose of keeping abreast with the times and remaining innovative.
In the introduction to the journal’s first issue of October 1990, the editors explained its thematic concerns and editorial policy as follows: "The aim of Impresa Sociale is to highlight the characteristics, potentialities, problems, advantages and limitations of initiatives intended to bring greater benefits to society, and especially to the disadvantaged, through the optimal and innovative organization of human and material resources within a framework of economic compatibility.”
Impresa Sociale has achieved this and more, and, thanks to its content, has become one of the main points of reference for the Italian debate on the third sector. From the outset, the journal has adopted a scientific and cultural approach intended to accelerate the processes of social innovation.
The journal provides a valuable overview of a wide-ranging scientific literature comprising various disciplines, such as economics, sociology, political science, history and law. The aim of Impresa Sociale is to promote debate among volunteers, workers, politicians, councillors, officials, managers of cooperatives and voluntary organizations, academics, and anyone else interested in social enterprise.
