Impact assessment theories and models: from evaluation to innovative management of organizations and territories

In a context of systemic crisis that pushes the search for courageous solutions and innovative approaches, "investments with and for social impact" are at the center of an increasingly lively international debate. The need to make public and private spending more effective and efficient and to attract resources to trigger sustainable development and green transition processes is the basis of multiple worktables, studies and actions aimed at identifying procedures for measuring the impact of an intervention. However, how to measure the social impact of organizations, especially social enterprises, which have been agents of social innovation and socio-economic change in recent years? Which metric allows to quantify and qualify the positive change generated? And "certify" the ability of an organization to be sustainable and therefore to attract capital, also creating economic value, besides the positive social and environmental effects? The three papers presented in this thesis will try to answer these questions and address the issue of the importance not only of finding metrics capable of assessing the social impact of organizations, to demonstrate their value, leaving the capitalist perspective of profit, but also to underline how the practice of social impact assessment can be used as a tool for the innovative management of both organizations and territories.