Abstract
This paper presents the outcome of a fieldwork carried out in France, Italy, Malta and Spain, with the aim of providing evidence about the main features characterizing fair trade organizations and the individuals (in particular volunteers) involved in them. The case studies have been selected taking into consideration both the areas where Fair Trade has deeper roots (as in some French, Italian and Spanish regions) and is more developed, and the areas where the sector is younger, more politically oriented (like Malta and the south of Italy). It turns out that Fair Trade mainly attracts women and young people, but by different degrees, leading towards a classification of potential volunteers. However, there are some skills that emerge across all the groups, such as relational team-working skills.
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Notes
- 1.
This is an application of Vygotsky’s (1962) “zone of proximal development”. See also Cole (1978).
- 2.
See for instance Pricewaterhouse Coopers (2001).
- 3.
The other volunteers (not interviewed, as they do not carry out typical activities) do various tasks (e.g. warehouse management, Internet site management).
- 4.
Technical-professional skills were shown to be greater in import organizations, as compared to those in world shops.
- 5.
Differences in workload can also explain low turnover of volunteers in small shops and high turnover in large shops.
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Acknowledgments
The Fair project has been realized thanks to co-financing from the European Commission-Leonardo da Vinci programme Project 2004 2240/001 001 LE2-51OREF (2004 - IT/04/C/F/RF-81506).
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Livraghi, R., Pappadà, G. (2009). Tacit Knowledge and Volunteers' Empowerment in the Fair Trade Sector. In: Musella, M., Destefanis, S. (eds) Paid and Unpaid Labour in the Social Economy. AIEL Series in Labour Economics. Physica, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7908-2137-6_13
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