Legitimisation of Social Economy Entities: Theoretical Framework for Analysis in Polish Conditions (original) (raw)

Social Enterprise in Poland: Institutional and Historical Context

The aim of this paper is to investigate the main models of Polish social enterprise against the background of their historical and institutional contexts. To do this, the authors have decided to divide the content into three parts. The first part (part A) presents the concept of social enterprise in Poland. It consists of an introduction and short overview of the history of social enterprises in Poland. We consider that this historical part can assist in understanding the complexities of the institutionalisation of Polish social enterprises that have taken place since Poland’s entry into the EU in 2004. The historical part is followed by an examination of the main concepts of social enterprise in Poland. The second part (part B) identifies the main models of Polish social enterprises, namely cooperatives, entrepreneurial non-profit organisations, and work and social integration social enterprises. The final part of the paper (part C) investigates the institutional trajectories of the SE models presented in part B.

Institutional aspects of the social enterprises’ sector development (case for Poland and Ukraine)

Geopolitics under Globalization, 2017

The potential contribution of social enterprises to work integration, job creation, and service delivery remains largely unrealized both in Poland and Ukraine. This paper focuses on the analysis of the role of social economy and social enterprises sector in providing employment opportunities and wide range of services for group of interest. One of the major obstacles to the discussion and study of the topic is the lack of a clear and concise definition. It is requiring investigating evolution of social enterprise as a concept and as a sector of the Polish and Ukrainian economies. Institutional aspects and legal frameworks are considered in order to define the appropriate ecosystem for social enterprises sector support and fostering. Attention was also paid to frame of the policy for social enterprises support and ongoing decentralization of public authority that is allowing to clarify what level of authority should be responsible for concrete policy measures elaborating.

Legitimacy and Sustainability of Social Enterprise: Governance and Accountability

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2014

This paper discusses the principles of legitimacy and sustainability of these social enterprises as one of the tools for non-profit organisations to fulfill their mission to healthy communities. The capability of social enterprises operations to create both social and economic values is considered "double bottom-line" mainstream organisations that creates economic values and social values, while other organisations are mainly "single bottom-line" mainstream organisations. This paper discusses the legitimacy and sustainability of social enterprises in generating income through its dual purpose of having "business" sources of revenues to be used for charity purposes.

Realities and Challenges of the Social Enterprises in South-Eastern European Countries

Modernization and Accountability in the Social Economy Sector, 2019

The chapter objectives focus on mapping the sector of social economy in some states from South-Eastern Europe, presenting their role and impact due to the activities achieved in society. The theoretical part of the chapter comprises the evolution of social economy in Europe, in general, and in South-Eastern Europe, in particular, the identification of the types of organizations in this area. The case study identifies and presents the stages of development of the social enterprises in countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, and explores, by comparative analysis the institutional frameworks, the regulations of social enterprises, the eligible judicial forms, presenting similarities and differences, as well as the contribution to social inclusion and impact on community in general. The chapter identifies and explains the influence of the European actors and presents the factors specific to each country which have influenced a...

Creating the Legal Framework for Social Enterprises in Romania – Between the Necessity and the Reality of the Approach in the Local Area

Risk in Contemporary Economy

Both before 1990 and after, in Romania there were forms of manifestation of the social economy, which, however, were not necessarily identified with them. The present study seeks to analyze the concept of social economy and its principles of operation in the context in which both before and after the appearance of Law no. 219/2015 of the social economy, the lack of concrete support from the state and local authorities for the promotion of the social economy is an undeniable reality. Using qualitative comparative research, the material analyzes the social economy law in two countries, one with a tradition-Spain, where for the first time in Europe a law on the social economy was presented to Parliament, in March 2010, the other-Romania, at the beginning of the road, with a social economy law adopted only in 2015.

Development Conditions of the Entities of Social Economy

Olsztyn Economic Journal, 2011

This paper discusses the issues of development conditions of the entities of social economy. The paper aims at drawing attention to the problems of “economisation” of the activities of social economy entities while the aim of the surveys was to identify the development barriers and opportunities faced by non-government organisations from Warmia and Mazury region and determine the attitudes of those organisations to the issues of economic activity and entrepreneurship (those attitudes was measured primarily from the perspective of the market revenues generated in 2009). The survey was conducted by electronic means employing the questionnaire-based survey. The results of studies presented in the paper allow concluding that the non-market financing (public funds) dominates in the majority of NGO’s from Warmia and Mazury region, the entities surveyed considered lack of funds for investments and difficulties in obtaining them the major barriers while the inflow of aid funds from the Euro...

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE IN THE ORDER OF SOCIAL MARKET ECONOMY

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NEW ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (IJONESS), 2019

The aim of the article is to confirm the thesis that social enterprises have a big impact on maximizing social benefits and reducing disparities and social exclusion in the state with the social market economy, as well as in a country without a social market economy system. To achieve the goal, the assumptions of the social market economy and social enterprises were presented, both in terms of model and practical functioning in Polish conditions. The authors use the deductive method of selected scientific publications, as well as the comparative method both in the efficiency of legal forms and business models of social enterprises, and the positive feedback phenomenon between the social and micro-social dimension when the social enterprise penetrates complementarily through the order of the social market economy. Streszczenie Celem artykułu jest potwierdzenie tezy, że przedsiębiorstwo społeczne ma duży wpływ na maksymalizację korzyści społecznych oraz zmniejszanie dysproporcji i wykluczenia społecznego w państwie z ładem społecznej gospodarki rynkowej, jak również w państwie bez systemu społecznej gospodarki rynkowej. Dla zrealizowania celu przedstawiono założenia społecznej gospodarki rynkowej i przedsiębiorstw społecznych w zarówno w ujęciu modelowym, jaki i praktycznym ich funkcjonowaniu w warunkach polskich.

Theoretical Aspects of Social Enterprises

Papers in Arts and Humanities

Social enterprises are given special attention from a scientific and public policy point of view. In everyday life, we see them as organizations that can provide solutions to various social problems. From an academic perspective, they represent a new research topic with its own interdisciplinary nature. They have been examined mainly from the point of view of management and organizational culture. In terms of scientific analysis, the newly developed research area of social economy and social enterprises is still in the conceptualization phase. The theoretical and methodological framework for research measurements need to be finalized. In this study, we seek to answer the question of how social economy—in particular, the perception of social enterprises in international and Romanian literature—is changing as a result of economic and social changes in space and time. We examine the factors along which definitions of the social enterprise within social economy are attempted, and the in...

Drivers toward Social Entrepreneurs Engagement in Poland: An Institutional Approach

Administrative Sciences

The aim of this study is to identify the factors that influence the involvement of individuals in social entrepreneurship in Poland from an institutional economics perspective. The research is based on exploratory data analysis using qualitative data covering 22 interviews with social entrepreneurs and 10 representatives of stakeholders from Poland as well as observations and secondary data. By employing an inductive approach and a case study methodology, it can be stated that involvement of social entrepreneurs is stimulated by a complex set of factors. Moreover, the results show the importance of the institutional environment for social enterprises in Poland, including the impact of formal and informal institutions on their development. The findings contribute to enhancing the knowledge on factors determining the establishment and development of social enterprises in Poland given the institutional economics perspective.

The Role of Stakeholders in Development of Social Economy Organizations in Poland: An Integrative Approach

Administrative Sciences, 2019

The aim of this article is to explore key changes in the mode of operation of Polish social economy organizations (SEOs) that result from a social policy targeted at strengthening their independence and sustainability. The activities of SEOs are largely supported by public institutions, but their opportunities for assistance of capacity building are considered insufficient. Owing to the current policy, not only an economic independence, but also the structure and behavior of supported social organizations, especially in their relations with other stakeholders, can be strengthened. Based on the exploratory analysis on how SOEs change their independence and sustainability as a result of implementation of the public policy, a conceptual model of value co-creation will be used. The model enables analyzing the scope and scale of stakeholder engagement in the development of SEOs. The empirical research was conducted using a survey among 112 Polish social economy organizations. The results of the study show that the market-oriented approach not only reduces the scale of relations between SEOs and their stakeholders but also affects the way SEOs work, transforming them to be more like traditional businesses.