Conference: “Extreme Poverty and Adult Vulnerability in Italy: Local Policies and Practices”

To understand the evolution of poverty and conditions of adult vulnerability, to examine policies aimed at combating them, and to highlight examples of collaboration between institutions and the third sector. These are the central themes of the conference “Extreme Poverty and Adult Vulnerability in Italy: Local Policies and Practices,” organized by the Università degli Studi di Brescia in collaboration with the City of Brescia and Socialis—Center for Studies on Cooperative, Social, and Nonprofit Enterprises—and featuring the participation of partner organizations involved in the City of Brescia’s co-design initiative on severe social marginalization. The event will take place on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, from 9:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., in the Library Lecture Hall of the University’s Department of Economics and Management, located at Via San Faustino 74/b.
The first part of the morning will be dedicated to understanding the phenomenon of poverty in Italy, through presentations by Raffaele Miniaci (Full Professor of Political Economy – Università di Brescia), Giovanni Vezzoli (Fondazione Ufficio Pio), Caterina Cortese (fio.PSD), and Paola Monti (Fondazione Ing. Rodolfo Debenedetti). The session will delve into data and trends related to poverty, the role of philanthropy, and the contribution of research to understanding conditions of marginalization.
The second part will be dedicated to Brescia’s experience with co-designing interventions to support people in conditions of severe marginalization, developed by the City of Brescia in collaboration with a partnership of third-sector organizations comprising the La Rete Social Cooperative (lead partner), the Il Calabrone Social Cooperative, the Bessimo Cooperative, the Articolo Uno Social Cooperative, the Amici del Calabrone Association, and the ADL Zavidovici Cooperative.
Following an introduction by Marco Fenaroli, Councilor for Social Services, Silvia Bonizzoni (Director of the UDS Department of Social Planning and Design, City of Brescia) and Lisa Giustacchini (Head of the Poverty Alleviation Division at La Rete Social Cooperative) will provide an in-depth look at the co-design process. This will be followed by a discussion on networking with Nicole Zagato (Cooperativa di Bessimo) and Elena Portesi (Southern Regional Social Services). Cristiana Paladini, director of Socialis and a research fellow at the Università di Brescia, will conclude with reflections on the evaluation of the process.
The initiative provides an opportunity for dialogue between research, social policies, and local practices, to reflect on the opportunities offered by collaboration between public administration and the third sector in developing integrated responses to the needs of the most vulnerable people.