Fighting poverty and inequalities through social impact bonds: Learning from case studies to support the Covid-19 response

This chapter focuses on critical case studies involving SIBs—launched to address poverty (also in advanced economies) and socio-economic inequality issues—with the aims of understanding (1) the links and gaps between the contests and the structures of different SIB models and the ways to achieve their goals and (2) the key elements for scaling up these practices. Our analysis examines the main implications for research and practice by providing a framework for an ecosystem in which SIBs are developed. The work contributes to the international debate and introduces interesting stimuli for developing SIBs in the post-COVID-19 era, especially in some European Union countries, such as Italy, that are characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty.