Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the role of third sector organisations in the implementation of anti-poverty policies in Puglia, starting from the experiences gathered during the research carried out in two Apulian provinces (Bari and BAT), from the voice of the protagonists. In the context of a renewed interest on the part of public decision-makers in the promotion of civic participation in the form of voluntary organisations and civic networks, we aimed to study the modalities in which the opportunities for cooperation within the principle of subsidiarity, prefigured by the recent legislative intervention, are actually used. Considered by the legislator as an important actor in the framework of the welfare community, some Third Sector organisations, according to the empirical evidence, seem to be burdened by organisational difficulties that effectively limit the contribution they could have made in the context of the fight against poverty.