IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/anresc/v74y2025i2d10.1007_s00168-025-01372-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

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
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00168-025-01372-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00168-025-01372-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Adham Sayed & Bin Peng, 2021. "Pandemics and income inequality: a historical review," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(4), pages 1-17, April.
    2. Tony Beatton & Benno Torgler, 2018. "Volunteering and life or financial shocks: does income and wealth matter?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(19), pages 2190-2209, April.
    3. Luigi Guiso & Paola Sapienza & Luigi Zingales, 2016. "Long-Term Persistence," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 14(6), pages 1401-1436, December.
    4. Fiorillo, Damiano & Sabatini, Fabio, 2015. "Structural social capital and health in Italy," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 129-142.
    5. Stephen Knack & Philip Keefer, 1997. "Does Social Capital Have an Economic Payoff? A Cross-Country Investigation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(4), pages 1251-1288.
    6. Prouteau, Lionel & Wolff, François-Charles, 2008. "On the relational motive for volunteer work," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 314-335, June.
    7. Andrew G. Berg & Jonathan D. Ostry, 2017. "Inequality and Unsustainable Growth: Two Sides of the Same Coin?," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 65(4), pages 792-815, November.
    8. Iacopo Odoardi & Dario D’Ingiullo & Donatella Furia, 2020. "Human capital and the reduction of inequalities: an intra-national analysis in Italy," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(57), pages 6215-6228, December.
    9. Prouteau, Lionel & Wolff, Francois-Charles, 2006. "Does volunteer work pay off in the labor market?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 992-1013, December.
    10. Andrés Rodríguez‐Pose & Vassilis Tselios, 2009. "Education And Income Inequality In The Regions Of The European Union," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(3), pages 411-437, August.
    11. Rodríguez-Pose,Andrés & Bartalucci,Federico & Nancy Lozano Gracia & Maria Davalos, 2024. "Overcoming Left-Behindedness : Moving beyond the Efficiency versus Equity Debate in Territorial Development," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10734, The World Bank.
    12. Leonardo Becchetti & Alessandra Pelloni & Fiammetta Rossetti, 2008. "Relational Goods, Sociability, and Happiness," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), pages 343-363, August.
    13. Raoul Minetti & Pierluigi Murro & Valentina Peruzzi, 2021. "Not All Banks Are Equal: Cooperative Banking And Income Inequality," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 59(1), pages 420-440, January.
    14. Damiano Fiorillo, 2011. "Volunteer work and domain satisfactions: evidence from Italy," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 39(1/2), pages 97-124, December.
    15. Tüzin Baycan & Özge Öner, 2023. "The dark side of social capital: a contextual perspective," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 70(3), pages 779-798, June.
    16. Margherita Scarlato, 2013. "Social Enterprise, Capabilities and Development Paradigms: Lessons from Ecuador," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(9), pages 1270-1283, September.
    17. Vicente Royuela & Paolo Veneri & Raul Ramos, 2014. "Income Inequality, Urban Size and Economic Growth in OECD Regions," OECD Regional Development Working Papers 2014/10, OECD Publishing.
    18. Nyakundi M. Michieka & John Deal & Kyle Lahman, 2022. "Air pollution and income inequality: a spatial econometric approach," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 69(1), pages 1-31, August.
    19. Douglas Staiger & James H. Stock, 1997. "Instrumental Variables Regression with Weak Instruments," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 65(3), pages 557-586, May.
    20. Elena Prodi & Stefano Ghinoi & Lauretta Rubini & Francesco Silvestri, 2023. "Do informal institutions matter for the economic resilience of European regions? A study of the post-2008 shock," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 40(1), pages 189-223, April.
    21. Joachim R. Frick & Markus M. Grabka, 2003. "Imputed Rent and Income Inequality: A Decomposition Analysis for Great Britain, West Germany and the U.S," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 49(4), pages 513-537, December.
    22. Damiano Fiorillo, 2009. "Volunteer Labour Supply: Micro-econometric Evidence from Italy," AIEL Series in Labour Economics, in: Marco Musella & Sergio Destefanis (ed.), Paid and Unpaid Labour in the Social Economy. An International Perspective, edition 1, chapter 10, pages 165-181, AIEL - Associazione Italiana Economisti del Lavoro.
    23. Miranda-Lescano, Ronald & Muinelo-Gallo, Leonel & Roca-Sagales, Oriol, 2024. "Human development and inequalities: The importance of social public spending," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 363-377.
    24. Kathleen Day & Rose Annue Devlin, 1998. "The Payoff to Work without Pay: Volunteer Work as an Investment in Human Capital," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 31(5), pages 1179-1191, November.
    25. Benedetto Gui, 2000. "Beyond Transactions: On the Interpersonal Dimension of Economic Reality," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(2), pages 139-169, June.
    26. Ricardo Crespo & Ignacio Hernandez, 2020. "On the spatially explicit Gini coefficient: the case study of Chile—a high-income developing country," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 37-47, April.
    27. Perugini, Francesco, 2024. "Local government efficiency and economic growth: The Italian case," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    28. Guido De Blasio & Giorgio Nuzzo, 2010. "Historical Traditions Of Civicness And Local Economic Development," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(4), pages 833-857, October.
    29. Franz Hackl & Martin Halla & Gerald J. Pruckner, 2007. "Volunteering and Income – The Fallacy of the Good Samaritan?," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(1), pages 77-104, February.
    30. Giuseppe Terzo & Giuseppe Notarstefano & Umberto Di Maggio, 2023. "Non-profit sector and regional well-being in Italy," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(3), pages 462-477, March.
    31. Fabio Sabatini, 2008. "Social Capital and the Quality of Economic Development," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), pages 466-499, August.
    32. Annie Tubadji & Masood Gheasi & Alessandro Crociata & Iacopo Odoardi, 2022. "Cultural capital and income inequality across Italian regions," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(3), pages 459-475, March.
    33. Peter Rogerson, 2013. "The Gini coefficient of inequality: a new interpretation," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 109-120, November.
    34. Carole Uhlaner, 1989. "“Relational goods” and participation: Incorporating sociability into a theory of rational action," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 253-285, September.
    35. Kathleen Day & Rose Anne Devlin, 1997. "Can volunteer work help explain the male-female earnings gap?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(6), pages 707-721.
    36. Michael Beenstock & Daniel Felsenstein & Ziv Rubin, 2017. "Does foreign direct investment polarize regional earnings? Some evidence from Israel," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 385-409, October.
    37. Giuseppe Terzo, 2022. "Investigating the link between social cooperation sector and economic well‐being of Italian provinces through the lens of social capital," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(4), pages 1041-1062, December.
    38. Margherita Scarlato, 2012. "Social Enterprise and Development Policy: Evidence from Italy," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 24-49, March.
    39. Joshua R. Goldstein & Ronald D. Lee, 2014. "How large are the effects of population aging on economic inequality?," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 12(1), pages 193-209.
    40. Jens Detollenaere & Sara Willems & Stijn Baert, 2017. "Volunteering, income and health," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(3), pages 1-11, March.
    41. Giuseppe Terzo, 2021. "Social capital, social economy and economic resilience of Italian provinces," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(5), pages 1113-1135, October.
    42. Alessandro Crociata & Iacopo Odoardi & Massimiliano Agovino & Pier Luigi Sacco, 2020. "A missing link? Cultural capital as a source of human capital: evidence from Italian regional data," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 64(1), pages 79-109, February.
    43. Vassilis Tselios, 2023. "Does political decentralization affect income inequality? The role of governance quality," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(5), pages 829-843, May.
    44. Lin Liu & Krishna P. Paudel & Guanghao Li & Ming Lei, 2019. "Income inequality among minority farmers in China: Does social capital have a role?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 528-551, February.
    45. Francesca Parente, 2019. "Inequality and social capital in the EU regions: a multidimensional analysis," Regional Studies, Regional Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 1-24, January.
    46. Jiaming Li & Jessie Poon & Yuheng Li & Hu Yu, 2024. "How manufacturing and service industries affect regional inequality? Evidence from China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 73(1), pages 31-59, June.
    47. Kathleen M. Day & Rose Anne Devlin, 1996. "Volunteerism and Crowding Out: Canadian Econometric Evidence," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 29(1), pages 37-53, February.
    48. Lester M. Salamon & S. Wojciech Sokolowski & Megan A. Haddock, 2011. "Measuring The Economic Value Of Volunteer Work Globally: Concepts, Estimates, And A Roadmap To The Future," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 82(3), pages 217-252, September.
    49. Julie A. Silva & Robin M. Leichenko, 2004. "Regional Income Inequality and International Trade," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 80(3), pages 261-286, July.
    50. Feng Dong & Yangfan Li, 2024. "How does industrial convergence affect regional high-quality development? Evidence from China," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(3), pages 1650-1683, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Damiano Fiorillo, 2011. "Do Monetary Rewards Crowd Out The Intrinsic Motivation Of Volunteers? Some Empirical Evidence For Italian Volunteers," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 82(2), pages 139-165, June.
    2. Bruna BRUNO & Damiano FIORILLO, 2016. "Voluntary Work And Wages," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 87(2), pages 175-202, December.
    3. Damiano Fiorillo & Nunzia Nappo, 2017. "Formal volunteering and self-perceived health. Causal evidence from the UK-SILC," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 75(2), pages 112-138, April.
    4. Argentiero, Amedeo & Cerqueti, Roy & Sabatini, Fabio, 2021. "Does social capital explain the Solow residual? A DSGE approach," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 35-53.
    5. Eva Van Belle & Ralf Caers & Marijke De Couck & Valentina Di Stasio & Stijn Baert, 2019. "The Signal of Applying for a Job Under a Vacancy Referral Scheme," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(2), pages 251-274, April.
    6. Bruno, Bruna & Fiorillo, Damiano, 2012. "Why without pay? Intrinsic motivation in the unpaid labour supply," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 659-669.
    7. Bruno Bruna & Fiorillo Damiano, 2009. "Why without Pay? The Intrinsic Motivation between Investment and Consumption in Unpaid Labour Supply," CELPE Discussion Papers 111, CELPE - CEnter for Labor and Political Economics, University of Salerno, Italy.
    8. Prouteau, Lionel & Wolff, François-Charles, 2008. "On the relational motive for volunteer work," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 314-335, June.
    9. Fiorillo, Damiano & Sabatini, Fabio, 2015. "Structural social capital and health in Italy," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 129-142.
    10. Lionel Prouteau & François‐Charles Wolff, 2004. "Relational Goods and Associational Participation," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 75(3), pages 431-463, September.
    11. Fiorillo, Damiano & Nappo, Nunzia, 2014. "Volunteering and perceived health. A European cross-countries investigation," MPRA Paper 72313, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2016.
    12. Fabio Sabatini & Francesco Sarracino, 2017. "Online Networks and Subjective Well-Being," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(3), pages 456-480, August.
    13. Heinz, Matthias & Schumacher, Heiner, 2017. "Signaling cooperation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 199-216.
    14. Giuseppe Terzo, 2022. "Investigating the link between social cooperation sector and economic well‐being of Italian provinces through the lens of social capital," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(4), pages 1041-1062, December.
    15. Jens Detollenaere & Sara Willems & Stijn Baert, 2017. "Volunteering, income and health," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(3), pages 1-11, March.
    16. Ana Gil-Lacruz & Marta Gil-Lacruz & María Isabel Saz-Gil, 2020. "Socially Active Aging and Self-Reported Health: Building a Sustainable Solidarity Ecosystem," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-16, March.
    17. Giacomo Degli Antoni & Fabio Sabatini, 2017. "Social cooperatives, social welfare associations and social networks," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 75(2), pages 212-230, April.
    18. Marcus Dittrich & Bianka Mey, 2015. "Gender differences in volunteer activities: Evidence from German survey data," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 35(1), pages 349-360.
    19. Sauer, Robert M. & Wilson, John & Mantovan, Noemi, 2019. "The Economic Benefits of Volunteering and Social Class," IZA Discussion Papers 12713, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    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

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:anresc:v:74:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s00168-025-01372-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.