Like a Stone Thrown Into a Pond. Poverty Contrast of an Emporium of Solidarity

WP 2WEL 2/2019

Among charitable food redistribution activities, emporia of solidarity can be considered an innovativeAmong charitable food redistribution activities, emporia of solidarity can be considered an innovativeidea in local welfare systems in Italy, since they try to meet poor households’ needs in an effectiveway, ensuring structured food provision. In this paper we ask to what extent an emporium of solidarityaffects poverty conditions of its recipients, and whether it generates net social benefits to differentactors involved in a typical year of activity. In order to answer these questions, we firstly provide theimpact of six social indicators on the living conditions of beneficiaries; secondly, we elaborate a socialcost-benefit framework. Our case study suggests that an emporium can be efficient in term of use ofresources and it can generate positive returns for the actors involved, implementing a redistributionof goods towards poor households. But the emporium significantly reduces the monetary poverty only,while it is ineffective on the severe material deprivation due to the persistence in poverty of foodrecipients. Hence an emporium tries to alleviate persistent hardship and creates benefits for differentactors, yet making evident persistent needs, underlying the necessity for a much wider approach topoverty reduction.