Il significato di terzo settore in Italia oggi. Alcune riflessioni dal punto di vista economico

The Third Sector Code has changed the use of the expression «third sector», marking the need to distinguish third sector entities from non profit institutions. In fact, we are nowadays faced with two separate worlds: on the one hand, the world of those, primarily legal scholars, who believe the expression «third sector» should now be used exclusively for the universe of ETS (Enti del terzo settore – Third Sector Entities); on the other, the world of non-legal scholars who consider «third sector» a term referring to a much broader range of organizations. This work does not aim to resolve this conflict by siding with one view or the other, but rather to initiate a dialogue between these different approaches and, if possible, find harmony in diversity. This journey has several stages. In the present essay, we address the first one, which concerns the conditions for dialogue. A preliminary requirement is a common understanding of what a definition should be and the method by which to apply it to the concrete circumstances we are addressing. An essential condition for dialogue is the identification of a common and shared conceptual space within which the different definitions/notions are be placed.