On Saturday, September 20, 2025, the San Giacomo Auditorium in Forlì hosted the roundtable “Common Places, Expanded Value. A New Perspective on Civil Economy”, part of the Festival del Buon Vivere, promoted by CEPI S.p.A. and the Social Solidarity Consortium of Forlì-Cesena, both celebrating their 40th anniversary this year.
The event was an extraordinary opportunity for dialogue, led by Professor Stefano Zamagni, internationally renowned economist and former President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. He was joined by Sandra Ceccarelli, CEO of CEPI S.p.A., and Marco Conti, President of the Social Solidarity Consortium.
Zamagni highlighted Forlì’s unique role as the only university campus in Italy to offer a degree in Social Economy for the past 28 years—an initiative that helped launch the well-known Bertinoro Days. He outlined the traits of the civil entrepreneur: not merely an industrialist, but someone who combines risk-taking, innovation, and the ability to enhance people’s talents—what he called ars combinatoria.
He emphasized the need to move beyond the traditional State-Market binary model, advocating for a triadic system that includes Community as a fundamental pillar of the common good and well-being. His call was clear: to evolve from corporate social responsibility to civil responsibility, where businesses, institutions, and civil society collaborate for the common good.
Zamagni identified four key priorities:
– A strategic alliance between schools and businesses
– Social services based on cooperation, not assistance
– A healthcare system that treats the person, not just the illness
– Neighborhood deliberative bodies to strengthen democratic participation
“The future,” Zamagni concluded, “belongs to those who are generative: happiness lies in helping not only oneself, but also the community to flourish.”
Sandra Ceccarelli, CEO of CEPI, echoed this vision:
“I fully agree with Professor Zamagni: today’s entrepreneur must be a generative actor—one who takes risks, innovates, and knows how to combine talents to create shared value. At CEPI, we embrace the values of civil economy by pursuing a vision of sustainability that is not just a communication strategy, but a guiding principle embedded in our business model. It shapes our decisions, investments, and welfare policies, and drives innovation and growth in constant dialogue with communities and institutions.”
Marco Conti, President of the Consortium, added:
“Celebrating 40 years alongside a great thinker like Professor Zamagni reminds us that civil economy is not a utopia, but a daily practice. Social cooperatives were born to unite business and community, and today more than ever, we are called to build shared value with responsibility and courage.”
Closing the event, Stefania Montalti, Head of Communication and Sustainability Strategy at CEPI, shared a powerful reflection:
“In response to the risk of misoneism—the fear of change—highlighted by Professor Zamagni, we at CEPI choose optimism and the will to evolve. We’ve been doing so for 40 years, and our experience shows that this is not a utopian vision, but a tangible goal when rooted in real encounters, shared spaces, and active participation. This is the true meaning of civil economy: not to preserve, but to regenerate—by valuing the contributions of both young people and businesses.”
A message that reminds us: the future belongs to those who choose to build it together, placing people, youth, and enterprises at the heart of a shared path of regeneration.
A heartfelt thank you to Terra del Buon Vivere for providing the beautiful setting that made this event so special. 🌿
