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Abstract: In recent decades, the socialization of economic development has become one of the key trends in globalization and, at the same time, a multilevel, structured and institutionalized process. Theoretical approaches to the essential identification of the social economy are generalized and a multi-criteria format of evolution of its models is proposed, based on social justice, responsibility and solidarity, social mentality and culture, social unity and optimism, social security, climate and comfort. The current configuration of the sustainable development paradigm with its subjective determination is outlined. The results of cluster modeling according to global indices of human development, social process, economic freedom, well-being of the elderly, happy planet, happiness and gender gap are presented. Social attention is paid to the empirical comparison of countries in terms of social optimism using global indices of happiness and a happy planet. The results of the empirical analysis are summarized in the disposition of the Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, continental, Mediterranean and transitive models of the social economy, which need qualitative renewal in the process of their global scaling.
Abstract: Organizations commonly use their mission statement as a strategic tool. In social enterprises the mission contains social and economic elements (hybrid mission). Centrality of the social component of the mission over the economic dimension is generally acknowledged, but few investigations focus on its achievement. To address this gap, this study identifies which combinations of mission fit are needed to achieve a social mission, analysing 143 social enterprises using qualitative comparative analysis. We find that irrespective of the organizational form, social enterprises should align the formal content, stakeholder motivation, and organizational practices perspectives of their mission to create a desired social impact. The simultaneous absence of (1) fit between mission content and organizational practice related to mission and (2) fit between mission content and stakeholder motivation was found to go hand in hand with social mission non-achievement. The results are consistent among different organizational forms, albeit for different reasons. By examining the configuration of social mission accomplishment, the authors offer managerial recommendations and future research directions for social enterprises.
Abstract: Knowledge-based societies are boosting interconnectivity and interdependence, generating an environment characterized by the existence of multiple relationships in which the boundaries between the traditional sectors (for-profit, public, and nonprofit or third sector) are blurred, with ‘hybridity’ becoming a salient consequence. Our research focuses on one particular typology of a hybrid organization, the social enterprise, defined as a firm whose purpose is to achieve a social mission through the use of market mechanisms. The study attempts to analyze whether the development of partnerships between these companies and nonprofits encourages social innovations. Grounded on quantitative-based research with 200 Spanish social enterprises, the results confirm that the presence of social innovations in social enterprises is enhanced when there are also close partnerships embedded within the core goals and activities of the social enterprise. Moreover, insights point to the relevance of these partnerships in fostering the long-term sustainability and transformational impact of the innovation, therefore countervailing the short-term orientation of firms, and balancing the different institutional logics derived from the dual value focus of social enterprises (social versus economic value).
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the ongoing climate crisis have put a spotlight on the central role businesses can play in tackling global challenges. We need companies to step up and help solve social and environmental problems at scale--for the sake of the economy as well as people and the planet. Yet one of the incentives companies have for being more socially and environmentally active is limited by existing approaches for assessing a company's social and environmental performance. The predominant frameworks are too narrow and fail to fully address key stakeholder concerns on their own. Environmental, social, and governance assessments focus on internal operational matters, such as labor relations and supply chain sustainability, but don't fully consider the impact that a company's products or services can have on outside stakeholders. Impact investing, in contrast, focuses on external issues, such as whether products and services address the needs of the poor, but it overlooks internal considerations, such as how companies treat their employees.
Abstract: This article explores the European Parliament's July 2018 non-legislative resolution proposing to the European Commission a directive for facilitating social enterprise companies’ cross-border activities. The proposal is first situated within the context of the social economy and how the sector has grown in importance to European integration. The proposal and the European Commission's response are then examined. Although the European Commission was not convinced that Member States would be amenable to the proposal, a consensus may already exist that is sufficient to garner their support. Even if this prediction is wrong, however, it is argued that there are reasons to surmise that the proposal will likely be reassessed and ultimately successful at some future point. Finally, the proposal is viewed with a reflexive harmonisation lens. Through the analysis, regulatory issues are identified, and a solution is then suggested.
Abstract: This article analyses to what extent the social and solidarity economy (SSE), the aim of which is to prioritize people’s needs and well-being, can offer young people education-to-work transitions conditions and opportunities which are different from those in the conventional economy. The very nature of SSE means that it is especially suitable for challenging gender inequality and proves to be exceptionally useful for testing feminist economics. Against a backdrop of economic crisis, SSE has shown greater resilience when compared to other sectors, although it is still not widespread. To examine how SSE can improve young women’s experiences and labour trajectories, this article analyses working conditions, job satisfaction and gender roles in school-to-work transitions of young women in SSE in Catalonia. Results show that the collective and value-driven nature of SSE entails a specific awareness and commitment that empower young women’s transitions experiences and expectations.
Abstract: The aim of this article is to assess the use of the term Social Economy, while being aware of its lack of concreteness, and to analyze the level of scientific production by means of a bibliometric analysis using WoS (JCR) and Scopus (SJR) as sources. Starting in 2004 and related to the Charter of Principles of the Social Economy, the material development of articles began. The most receptive countries are Spain, the USA, China, the UK and Canada. In terms of the most productive journals, Voluntas in JCR and CIRIEC-Spain and REVESCO in SJR stand out. Scientific production on this issue is linked to university institutions, namely the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of Valencia and the University of Quebec. The most prevalent subject are Economics and Business in the case of JCR and Social Sciences in SJR. The most recognized term is that of cooperatives and the most prevalent keyword trends being related to sustainable development, climate change, urbanization, management and China.
Abstract: In response to the large number of definitions of social enterprise (SE), various works have sought to cope with such diversity through SE typologies. Many of them are however country-specific and only very few of them are built upon solid theoretical foundations. To overcome these weaknesses, Defourny and Nyssens had put forward, in a previous article, some fundamentals for an international typology, including four SE models. The objective of the present article is to test the existence of these models on the basis of a data set covering 721 SEs and resulting from a survey carried out in 43 countries. More precisely, the statistical exploitation of the data set combined multiple factorial analysis with hierarchical cluster analysis. It appears that the existence of three of the four SE models—namely the social-business model, the social-cooperative model and the entrepreneurial nonprofit model—is strongly supported by the empirical analysis in almost all surveyed countries.
Abstract: This research’s main objective is to review the contributions of social economy organizations to SDG communication. It departs from a perspective of its development, sensitization, and the raising of awareness towards them. To reach this objective, we start with two hypotheses: The first one, social economy organizations’ communication of the SDG is scarce; the second one, SDG communication, responds to a declarative model versus a participative model. The methodology used was a documentary and content analysis of social economy organizations’ communication of the SDG in Spain. To accomplish this analysis, we examined different representative families and entities of this sector. We tracked web sites, social media sites, studies, and reports from various organizations. We paid particular attention to organizations with greater economic relevance and representation in Spain, according to CEPES (Confederación Empresarial Española de la Economía Social -Spanish Enterprise Confederation for Social Economy).
Abstract: The Economy for the Common Good movement proposes an alternative economic model, which promises to offset many of the detrimental effects of the contemporary labour market. Yet, despite its increasing economic and social relevance in Europe, there is little research on Economy for the Common Good firms and the quality of the jobs they offer their employees. We thus, first, introduce the ideas of this movement and then present findings on workplace characteristics and the well-being of workers. Our results are based on our own survey of Economy for the Common Good employees from 2018 and on the sixth wave of the European Working Conditions Survey. Our analyses offer mixed support for the claims of the Economy for the Common Good – while Economy for the Common Good workers can be found in high-quality work settings, their absenteeism and presenteeism, as well as indicators of control, time pressure, direct participation and financial participation do not differ from other workers when controlled in a propensity score matching approach. Based on our findings and feedback from Economy for the Common Good representatives, we conclude that the introduction of Economy for the Common Good ideas might be too recent to see any positive effects, but also that Economy for the Common Good companies should place more focus on their employees’ well-being.
Abstract: Corporate organisational constructs facilitating social enterprise have proliferated for the last decade across Europe. This article investigates this phenomenon, and provides an initial analytical framework through which the social enterprise company can be understood, both on its own terms and with respect to the traditional business organisation. The article begins by laying out policymakers' collective intentions for creating the social enterprise company. The discussion then turns to theorising the social enterprise company's organisational architecture. The social enterprise company is a hybrid organisational construct designed to generate social value. For this reason it operates according to the principle of publicness. The intention was also for the social enterprise company to be resource flexible and attract altruistic investors and managers. The article then further extends the theoretical discussion by mapping early stage and later stage investor involvement with reference to the current state of the impact investment landscape, and investigates how these considerations relate to the jurisdictions' isomorphic prevention mechanisms, which encourage impact fidelity in the context of a conversion or a winding up.
Abstract: Social economy organizations (SEOs), designed to do good for society, have been attracting significant attention as an alternative to purely profit-driven businesses. However, the sustainability of these hybrid organizations has been questioned due to the challenges in meeting the dual bottom-lines of financial performance and social purpose. This article takes a causal-process tracing (CPT) case study approach and analyzes eight SEOs to investigate the common characteristics of sustainable SEOs. The results of the analysis show that effective leadership is a sufficient (but not necessary) condition for the survival of SEOs, while leadership is a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for SEOs’ thriving. Business competitiveness is found to be necessary for SEOs’ long-term success and performance over time. Collaborative networking is a contributory condition for SEOs thriving but not a necessary condition for their survival.
Abstract: We study the problem of the renewal of workers’ intrinsic and pro-social motivations in democratic work settings, as found in Italian social enterprises, organizations in the social economy that deliver social and welfare services. Building upon institutional, system, and management theory we hypothesize that social enterprises value and protect pro-social motivations as crucial resources. Specifically, hypothesis-testing examines the effect of the work relational context and of job satisfaction on the renewal of self-esteem intrinsic motivations and pro-social motivations. Our sample includes 320 social enterprises matched with 4134 paid workers. The results of categorical principal components analysis, OLS regression and structural equation modelling show that worker wellbeing (substantive and formal satisfaction) mediates the relation between the relational context (collaborative teamwork and fairness, both procedural and interactional) and the renewal of self-esteem and pro-social motivations.
Abstract: Scientific literature and facts have highlighted the perpetuation of gender inequality in the labour market in spite of the ongoing endeavours of political bodies and legal norms to eliminate the vertical and horizontal segregation of women. Portuguese Social Economy Act stresses “the respect for the values […] of equality and non-discrimination […], justice and equity […]”. In this paper, we offer a reflection on indicators that uncover vertical and horizontal segregation in the labour market. Based on a mixed methodological approach, we found very high rates of employment feminization in social economy organizations. Women are mainly allocated to technical and operational activities, being ultimately underrepresented in statutory boards and as such excluded from deliberation and strategic decision. The sector is moving away from the ideals of justice and social equity and may preserve women’s “non-place” in the definition of the public and strategic direction and in the most invisible/private organizational “places”.
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