A State of the Art of Corporate Social Responsibility Diffusion in Italy: Limits and Potentials

The work aims to provide a framework on the evolution and future prospects of the spread of CSR in Italy, taking into account the specificities of the socio-economic fabric of this country, consisting primarily of small and medium-sized enterprises and of the cultural factors that have led to the widespread entrepreneurial development in different Italian regions. The paper is divided into two main parts. The first part contains a review of the empirical researches conducted at national and regional level and is aimed at detecting the spread of knowledge of the philosophy and the socially responsible-oriented practices among the different types and classes of companies (large, medium and small-sized firms). The second part addresses a critical evaluation of the different approaches to the development of CSR themes and tools. Following the models elaborated in literature that take into consideration the different patterns of public action in the European context, it focuses on the “Italian way to CSR”, through a comparison with other European countries. In particular, the paper identifies and proposes, as a result of an empirical analysis and a review of studies conducted on a regional basis, a specific model which depends on contingency factors (social, economic and cultural factors) typical of the Italian context (the so called “Territorial social responsibility model”). This local approach—which is based on the SMEs active involvement—facilitates the implementation of CSR tools and seems to be able to produce medium to long-term effects and a change in culture and approach towards responsibility and sustainability.