The Role of Social Cooperatives in the Work Inclusion of People with Disability During the COVID-19 Crisis: A Case from Italy

One of the more striking effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the worsening of inequalities, especially for already vulnerable people. This is the case for people with disability who came into the COVID-19 crisis already facing significant exclusion from employment. Based on a single case study research project concerning an Italian province, the current paper highlights the role social cooperatives played in mitigating the negative effects of the pandemic on the work inclusion of people with disability during the most acute phase of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. By triangulating multiple sources of evidence (both qualitative and quantitative), the study identifies local embeddedness and organisational hybridity as the most relevant properties that allowed cooperatives to play that role. This result confirms social cooperatives as fundamental actors for social innovation and primary partners for public administration within a plural welfare system.