Civic Crowdfunding: an Innovative and Social Way of Community Development

Abstract

Civic crowdfunding is a social and an innovative way of funding public projects through the use of online platforms. It actively involves citizens and public administrations, making them collaborate in order to produce shared good and services for communities, shaping the future of their cities. So as a consequence, the positive aspects are not limited to an individual, instead to all the community. This study aims at giving an overview of the concept of civic crowdfunding, exploring its theoretical and historical background, analyzing its types and dynamics, as well as its enabling conditions. Civic crowdfunding online platforms will be examined, describing their features, the most common projects and their geographic distribution. Furthermore, a more in-depth analysis of civic crowdfunding in Italy will be conducted, underlining its peculiarities, its strengths and weaknesses and the platforms’ situation and distribution, considering also some case studies. Finally, the study will propose some possible future paths for civic crowdfunding, taking into consideration the current development context.