Uvodna sekcija (tematski format)

  • Introduction

    An image representing Social Economy environment

    To understand the basics of social economy and social entrepreneurship, we must define the definition of it and how it is different from mainstream businesses. A social enterprise's main purpose is to promote, encourage, and make social change happen. In contrast to mainstream businesses, social enterprises do not aim to make a profit. The EU is trying to develop a policy framework that brings together all forms of social enterprises, helps measure them, enhances social investment, and supports start-ups. In 2021, the European Commission adopted a new action plan on the social economy. With the action plan, the Commission put forward concrete measures to help mobilize the full potential of the social economy. 

    These enterprises can be categorized by size, how they are financed, and in what field they operate. There are many organizations that are relevant in SE development in Europe, like OECD, Euclid Network, Ashoka, Impact Europe, and SEWF. Moreover, we can talk about different groups that somehow support the SEs ecosystems: the customers, policy makers, governments, funders, or peer organizations like universities. 

    Social innovation is one of the most relevant topics. It can be defined as the development and implementation of new ideas (products, services, and models). Assessing social innovation and measuring its impact is important to find out which policies, methods, and approaches work best.

  • Supporting ecosystems of SEs: Key organisations that aid the SE development

    As social entrepreneurship has become a more and more well-known concept, actors from all sectors have become involved building a robust cross-sector ecosystem. There is a strong transnational drive in the various support systems, however the supporting ecosystems of Social Enterprises are strongly related to the local context and society they operate in. Even with the ongoing integration of the European Union these differences persist.

    Thus, the unit only gives a short introduction highlighting some of the international players in the field and provide some guideline how to identify local ecosystem actors. It is also important to point out that due to the rapidly changing landscape of social entrepreneurship and sustainable business theory and practices these players often change.