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Income inequality in Italian regions: an empirical study on the mitigating role of organisation-based volunteering

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Listed:
  • Umberto Maggio

    (Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta, Department of Law, Economics and Communication)

  • Giuseppe Notarstefano

    (Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta, Department of Law, Economics and Communication)

  • Giuseppe Terzo

    (Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta, Department of Law, Economics and Communication
    Luiss University, Department of Business and Management)

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between organisation-based volunteering and income inequality in Italian NUTS-2 regions. We propose a conceptual framework that illustrates how formal volunteering, through various mechanisms, broadens citizens’ opportunities and fosters equality of opportunity, ultimately contributing to a more equitable economic welfare. We test this framework through an econometric analysis on a panel of 21 Italian NUTS-2 regions covering the period from 2010 to 2020. Consistent with theoretical expectations, we find a negative relationship between organisation-based volunteering and household income inequality. These results, which are robust across several issues and scenarios, emphasise the need to design regional welfare policies where organised civil society might play, in a circular welfare perspective, a pivotal role in producing goods and services of general interest that are essential to support people’s empowerment and ensure more inclusive regional development paths.

Suggested Citation

  • Umberto Maggio & Giuseppe Notarstefano & Giuseppe Terzo, 2025. "Income inequality in Italian regions: an empirical study on the mitigating role of organisation-based volunteering," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 74(2), pages 1-25, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:anresc:v:74:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s00168-025-01372-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s00168-025-01372-8
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • L31 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Nonprofit Institutions; NGOs; Social Entrepreneurship

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