Values-Based public-private networks. Best Practices in Italian Local Government: the case of ‘Regione Marche'

Abstract Internationally, the theme of territorial social responsibility, or territorial networks (CSR-oriented partnerships between local public and private partners) aimed to promote a model of sustainable economic growth, is still little noted. The movement of collective responsibility sees institutions and organisations (public and private, for profit and non-profit) participating in a form of economic development that is socially and environmentally sustainable. In these territories where deeply rooted actors are stimulated to cooperate for the responsible development of the productive system, their combined actions become an effective instrument in the sustainable government of the territory. Based on this consideration, the aim of our research is the evaluation of Italian local governmental initiatives to promote corporate social responsibility through public-private networks (specially focusing on the “Marche Region” case- study). Local governance based on the subsidiarity and the shared values of a spatial and socio-economic community can therefore be interpreted as a possible form of “managing publicly” which is focused on creating values and following the public interest, and operates through their motivations and values. This triggers a path of human governance in which participation, co-planning, and dialogue are not merely slogans but the modus operandi in actors’ processes of creating value.