IL TERZO SETTORE IN PRESENZA DI BISOGNI COMPLESSI: CRITICITÀ DELL’ESTERNALIZZAZIONE DEI SERVIZI A NAPOLI/ Third Sector responses to complex needs: Challenges of service outsourcing in Naples

Abstract

This article begins by reconstructing the Third Sector’s role within the welfare system and traces the trajectory of local welfare transformation in relation to the increasing integration of non-state, social-private actors in service delivery. It first outlines the main theoretical and regulatory coordinates underpinning this arrangement and then discusses the critical issues emerging in its practical implementation. The analysis then presents a case study on access and care pathways for complex needs in the Naples metropolitan area. Drawing on in-depth interviews with practitioners and family members, it highlights organisational shortcomings, fragmented coordination, and governance frictions. The article aims to stimulate reflection on the implications of outsourcing public welfare services under conditions of rising demand and structurally constrained resources.

Keywords:

Third Sector; Local Welfare Governance; Outsourcing; Complex Needs.