From public services to networks of social enterprises. Strategic trends for South-Eastern Europe (original) (raw)

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...

Public policies and social enterprises in Europe: the challenge of institutionalization

Social enterprise: At the …, 2006

The objective of this chapter is to sketch the different types of public policies that have contributed to shaping the institutional environment of European social enterprises. A central assumption is that social enterprises are characterized by socio-political embeddedness. Indeed, these public policies are the results of interactions between the promoters of social enterprises and representatives of the public bodies. However, the accommodation between the views of social enterprises and those of public bodies on the contested nature of the mission of WISEs seems not to be simple. After reading this chapter, the reader should:

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.

A Central European approach to the typology of social enterprises

2019

Two years have passed and, once again, we are here with our international meeting of academics and professionalsthe conference on Strategic Management and its Support by Information Systems (SMSIS). This year, the conference is held for the 13 th consecutive year and, again, we are glad for the support from the dean of the Faculty of Economics, VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava, prof. Zdeněk Zmeškal.

Social Enterprise in Central and Eastern Europe

2021

In the last two decades, the quest for a widely accepted definition of social enterprise has been a central issue in a great number of publications. The main objective of the International Comparative Social Enterprise Models (ICSEM) Project (on which this book is based) was to show that the social enterprise field would benefit much more from linking conceptualisation efforts to the huge diversity of social enterprises than from an additional and ambitious attempt at providing an encompassing definition. Starting from a hypothesis that could be termed "the impossibility of a unified definition", the ICSEM research strategy relied on bottom-up approaches to capture the social enterprise phenomenon in its local and national contexts. This strategy made it possible to take into account and give legitimacy to locally embedded approaches, while simultaneously allowing for the identification of major social enterprise models to delineate the field on common grounds at the international level. Social Enterprise in Central and Eastern Europe-the last volume in a series of four ICSEM-based books on social enterprise worldwide-will serve as a key reference and resource for teachers, researchers, students, experts, policymakers, journalists and others who want to acquire a broad understanding of the social enterprise and social entrepreneurship phenomena as they emerge and develop in this region.

Ecosystem of Social Enterprises - A Comparative Review of the Practice of European Countries and the Republic of Serbia

Economic Themes

Due to the influence of numerous factors that make it difficult to find the innovative solutions to social and environmental problems that social enterprises deal with, there is a need for a joint action of social enterprises, both with each other and with other actors operating in their environment. In order to overcome the challenges more easily, which they face in their business, social enterprises and social entrepreneurs should take advantage of networking. Business networks can bring many benefits to their members, and networks in the social sector are of particular importance. Recently, networking has taken place within the broader framework of so-called ecosystems. With this in mind, the aim of this paper is to shed more light on the specifics of networking of social enterprises, i.e. their connection to ecosystems. The Social Entrepreneurship Network (SEN) has played a key role in the development of this sector in European countries. Also in the Republic of Serbia, networki...

Exploring the role of social enterprises within the Romanian welfare system

Calitatea vieţii, 2020

ocial enterprises are embedded in the local context, their organizational characteristics and operational strategies being influenced by the institutional settings, political culture and historical traditions and events. Similar to other European countries, Romania has included the modernization of the welfare systems in the development agenda of the last decade. One of the areas of interest was to better understand and promote the dynamics of the social enterprises as economic, social development actors and facilitators. From a neo-institutionalist perspective, this paper aims to explore the role of social enterprises as a component of Romanian welfare system. It starts with an overview of the history of the Romanian social enterprise, its roots and drivers; it continues with the identification of the roles, challenges and development processes of the social enterprises as welfare services.

Challenges of cross–sectoral collaboration of social enterprises in the Baltic states

2021

Social enterprises are a new phenomenon in the Baltic States. In order to create a substantial social impact in society and scale their business for a growing sector of social enterprises in Baltic states it is important to create partnerships and collaborate with different sectors 'organizations: NGO, private, and public. By forming partnerships with different participants, social enterprises can contribute to a more effective solution to social problems. The aim of this article is to identify the main factors for social enterprises to create successful collaboration and partnerships with NGO, private, and public sectors. The methods of research are an analysis of scientific literature, multiple case study analysis, content analysis. The study also analyzed the main obstacles for social enterprises to collaborate with different sectors 'organizations. The study results of the study disclosed how to improve partnerships development with NGOs, private, and public sectors. Fol...

Overview of the emergence and evolution of social enterprise

Social Enterprise: A New Model for Poverty Reduction and Employment Generation,, 2008

This study explores the social enterprise phenomenon in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Despite recording rapid economic growth, these countries are afflicted by pockets of poverty, severe inequality and social exclusion. The study focuses on the following countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia (new EU member states); Macedonia and Serbia (the Balkans); and Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine (CIS countries).

Challenges of cross-sectoral collaboration of social enterprises in Baltic states

Conference: Social transformations in contemporary society 2021, 2021

Social enterprises are a new phenomenon in the Baltic States. To create a substantial social impact in society and scale their business, social enterprises in Baltic states need to create partnerships and collaborate with different sectors. By forming partnerships with different sectors, social enterprises can provide effective solutions to social problems. The aim of this article is to identify the main factors for social enterprises to create successful collaboration and partnerships with private, and public sector organisations. The methods of research are an analysis of scientific literature, social entrepreneurs' interviews, content analysis. The study also analyzed the main obstacles for social enterprises to collaborate with different sectors. The empirical findings of the study disclosed how to improve partnerships development with private, and public sectors. Following the theoretical and empirical research, the article suggests possible means of improving and developing partnerships.