**6. The necessary integration between health, social and economic networks**

#### **6.1 The Italian example**

Faced with crises, civil and cohesive communities react as plants do; strengthening the roots, developing shared bonds, protecting and including the weakest subjects and innovating and generating beauty. These are the realities of Italian production excellence, local networks, districts and supply chains of small to medium-sized enterprises that support both quality and sustainable production. The network system of Italian manufacturing excellence, studied throughout the world, is one of the few models where the increase in productivity and the innovation capacity of the economy is linked to the improvement of cohesion and social ties, as well as environmental investment: it's an example of the possible and desired relationship between social quality and the quality of the economy. There is a vast amount of data that confirms how the resilience of the Italian economic and social system, in its best expressions, relies on the distinctive characteristics of a 'vegetable economy', whereby the economy is considered as an expression of the territory and its environment. If Italy remains the fifth country in the world in terms of its trade surplus, and the seventh with regards to its manufacturing, it is likely a result of it having the highest percentage of waste reduction and recycling compared to other European countries (79 percent, double the European average). As the research of the Symbola Foundation (www.symbola.net) shows, Italy also ranks first in the world view for organically grown agriculture, with no European rivals to match their number of organic producers: approximately 70 thousand, almost double the average of other nations. Italian agriculture emits around 50% less greenhouse gases compared to the EU-28 average, significantly better than other large counties. Italian productions boast as many as three thousand geographical indications recognised at a community level for food products, considering this, it's no surprise that the added value of Italian agriculture is among the highest of large European countries.

If we consider the eco-efficiency factor (a synthesis of four factors: 1. Materials used 2. Energy used 3. Waste production and 4. Atmospheric emissions) the Italian system is among the most environmentally sustainable in Europe and among the major European economies. In recent years, Italy has grown the most in terms of its production eco-efficacy, thanks to the promotion of both recycling and circular economy. During the pandemic, 'green' companies, which have invested in eco-sustainability, appeared to be both more resilient (with a lessened decrease in turnover) and reactive, allowing for a a more confident outlook in the future. Generally speaking, these 'green' companies are more dynamic, innovative, digital and young. Investments in eco-sustainability and in the reduction of consumption also helps to establish a foundation for employment opportunities, the shift towards eco-sustainability has seen a rise in demand, both now and in the coming years, for professionals with green, environmental and digital skills.

Italy is also the first European country for companies operating within the cultural sector, deriving value from both its historical and artistic heritage. Generally speaking, Italy has a 'cohesive' business dimension well rooted in Italian history,

culture and economy linked to a given territory which creates value directly from social ties. Among these enterprises, the role of the cooperative enterprise is of special importance. While Italy has suffered from production and financial system crises in recent years, cooperative and mutual systems have been able to respond to said crises by strengthening networks, promoting participation and creating jobs. Since the beginning of the last century, non-profit companies have continued to promote an alternative model to financial capitalism, demonstrating how it is possible to consider economics primarily in terms of social well-being as opposed to not profit.

No reflection on overcoming a system based on the relationship between production and income through social and territorial networks can ignore the consideration of experience and value that comes with cooperative enterprises, very few countries in the world show the capabilities of this model as the national economy of Italy does. If the previous tendencies to lean towards a capitalist model were based on the hegemony of utilitarianism and competition, both between firms and within the internal organisation of work, the inclusion of Fourth Capitalism ideals allows the axis to shift in favour of a shared ability and cooperation within a system, present in the form of sharing knowledge and experiences. In this sense, the cooperative dimension that presents itself in the Italian model no longer appears solely in the non-profit economic dimension as a response to social needs, but as a possible means of organising the economy and society around the value of a person and for the purpose of well-being. Considering this it's fair to day that Italy not only has a strong tradition of cooperation and social enterprise, but also has a historically consolidated model promoting both human and social relationships; organising the territory and creating networks and relationships between people, businesses and the territory that they establish through an economy of collaboration and sharing. From these practises, examples and experiences, it's possible to build the conditions for a sustainable and stage development model on a health, environmental and social level.

#### **6.2 From the recovery fund to a new development model**

From the outset of the Covid 19 pandemic, originating areas surrounding Northern Italy, Southern France and Catalonia, some of the most developed areas across the continent, Europe saw a reactional divide. Two key directions emerged; Northern European countries as well as some eastern European counties gave priority to economic protection, whereas other countries, such as France and Italy, limited economic activity and prioritised above all, the health of their citizens. This division emphasises the first significant consequence of how the Covid 19 epidemic brought to light an important transition in the geopolitical relations perspective and the development model itself. The indications of the PNRR, the plan supported by the Recovery Fund for the recovery and resilience of countries within the European Union, offer a clear directive necessary to prevent current and future health risk situations: namely, the promotion of investments, infrastructures and incentives for an ecological conversion of the economy and greater social inclusion. For many nations across the world, especially the recently developed counties, this is likely to trigger an expensive change to production models that emit mass pollutants into the environment and have little regard for conditions of growth with respect to inequality. Many corporations and international companies, for example those operating in a highly polluting sector such as that of clothing, continue to produce in countries where there are no, or at least little, regulations and limited imposed on productions which negatively affect both humans and the environment. As such,

#### *Inclusion Policies and Territorial Welfare Networks between Society, Work and the Economy… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96035*

a global strategy for the purpose of pandemic risk prevention ought to be imposed upon nations with rigorous agreements aimed at supporting ecologically sustainable production, which at the same time, ought to reduce the emissions of gas and pollutants, even if this means the banning of products which appear difficult to recycle and dispose of. Nations know what they must do, but the path of a circular and environmentally sustainable economy, which involves both heavy costs and investments, cannot be explored only by Europe and the more advanced economies. In this sense, a directive heads towards the direction of re-converging two of the planet's largest economies, that of America and that of China, is necessary. Albeit difficult to imagine given their tendency to prefer security over enrichment at a cost.

The belief of scientists regarding the close correlation between environmental crisis and the health crisis much reach policy makers as soon as possible, necessary countermeasures for the purpose of resilience and recovery must be taken. The hope is that the European Union's recovery plan could stimulate change and initiate a change in direction, even if the world is not entirely binding. The new development model that needs to be determined in order to recover from the crisis and the sequence of crises that have characterised the last ten years, i.e. financial, environmental, economic and health, must be sustainable for man, society and the planet. Health sustainability ties itself to environmental sustainability, which in turn paves the way for human sustainability acts. Considering this, while quantitative productions, generated by the anxiety of the consumption of perishable goods as spawned by the rampant depression in a hyper-consumer society, must be expanded, services ought to be expanded to fully ensure citizens live better and together. The demand for solitary and selfish consumption must be replaced with the demand for sharing and social bonds. There is an economy of beauty and the well-made which opposes the consumerism of 'ugly' and perishable goods, the production of which generates pollution. There is a civil economy based on community-like-services promoting togetherness, increasingly requested not only by the elderly and generally weaker population, but also be those who want to escape from the social malaise that is fuelled by the current development model [15, 16].

The pursuit for another quality of life not measured by the conditions of production (a parameter used mainly by the US news and WEF model indicators), but instead, measured by psychological factors of well-being (i.e. parameters used by the BES). Both economic and social references call for a different model for the purpose of attaining sustainable development and are well presented within the Italian experience, even more so from an ethical and cultural point of view. The task of Italy, is therefore, in this phase of crisis resilience, to focus on the basic aspects of its model; quality, environmentally and socially sustainable productions with investments in networks and personal services.
