Abstract

The public or private management of social services reflects the broader concept of the relationship between society and the public apparatus. With the creation of the welfare state, the State has ended up becoming the owner of those functions that, previously, were performed by different social groups. Social services and, in general, personal services, however, traditionally represent the privileged field of action of the so-called non-profit organizations. The associations created over historical periods much more favorable to private intervention in the social field, have experienced tough times, linked to the tendency of the modern welfare state to perform any function of public importance, correspondingly reducing the operating margins of private social organizations. The purpose of this work is to develop the themes of public assistance and charity, as well as the labour market, in Southern Italy, from the modern to the contemporary age, focusing on the activity of the Pio Monte della Misericordia of Naples in terms of welfare and professional training. The archival documentation kept at the Institution and the examination of the specific bibliography on the subject allow to retrace the extent of the interventions, including current ones, in favor of the most disadvantaged classes in the Neapolitan area and the rest of Southern Italy, leading to a careful and articulated reconstruction of the role of the «third sector» in the local and national economy