Abstract

The article sheds light on the views and expectations of third sector top-managers and lower level managers concerning the Third Sector Code and its impacts on actors' strategies and organizational responses. The evidence from the qualitative interviews carried out in the Region of Calabria - which notably has very limited public social services, and an extremely weak regulatory capacity - suggests that low level managers perceive the reform as a further administrative burden, while higher ranking managers are mostly worried that the reform will increasingly marginalize the smaller organizations. Managers in charge of social cooperatives are the only exception: in their view, the reform is an opportunity for strengthening and upgrading organized solidarity.