Public, private and hybrid organizations collaborating for social sustainability

This dissertation examines how social sustainability is interpreted and implemented by private companies, hybrid organizations, and public administrations, and how their interactions contribute to shared societal outcomes. The whole study is conducted in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in Italy and combines surveys, interviews, and document analysis. The findings show that private manufacturing firms tend to approach social sustainability through informal and relational practices, mainly focused on employee well-being and local community engagement, rather than through formal strategies or reporting systems. Hybrid organizations, particularly benefit corporations, seem to display a stronger integration of social sustainability into governance structures and collaboration practices, although challenges remain in the measurement and reporting of social impacts. Public administrations emerge as key supporters of social sustainability, though their effectiveness largely depends on stakeholder engagement.

This dissertation examines how social sustainability is interpreted and implemented by private companies, hybrid organizations, and public administrations, and how their interactions contribute to shared societal outcomes. The whole study is conducted in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in Italy and combines surveys, interviews, and document analysis. The findings show that private manufacturing firms tend to approach social sustainability through informal and relational practices, mainly focused on employee well-being and local community engagement, rather than through formal strategies or reporting systems. Hybrid organizations, particularly benefit corporations, seem to display a stronger integration of social sustainability into governance structures and collaboration practices, although challenges remain in the measurement and reporting of social impacts. Public administrations emerge as key supporters of social sustainability, though their effectiveness largely depends on stakeholder engagement.