Non-State Actors in the Educational Field in Italy

The present study maps and analyses philanthropic foundations' influence strategies in Italy's education policy field. We aim at examining the creation of configurations of power relations among private actors operating in the political sphere. We provide empirical data and analysis on the strategies of influence of the three Italian case studies in the field of education policies. These are: Fondazione Agnelli, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, with its educational branch Fondazione per la Scuola, and Fondazione con il Sud, whose educational branch is a non-profit social enterprise, Con I Bambini. The paper shows that Philanthropic foundations play a key role in structuring the field of knowledge of government, and the education policy field is central to it, combining the roles of moral entrepreneurs, experts and patrons.