The Role of Social Entrepreneurship and Social Economy in Romanian Sustainable Business Development

2019 ◽  
pp. 49-65
Author(s):  
Rodica Gherghina ◽  
Ioana Duca

In their scientific endeavour, the authors aim at analysing the concepts of social entrepreneurship and social economy, as well as emphasising the role these concepts play in sustainable business development and in the economic development of society as a whole. At the same time, several aspects of social enterprises are presented and their importance in the Romanian economic environment is emphasised. As these are two relatively new concepts in the social economy in Romania, the authors refer to the specialised literature throughout their research. The authors present several of the opportunities and challenges raised by social economy. The importance of financing is emphasised by means of presenting the organisations' financing sources which are specific to social economy. The conclusions to this research include some of the authors' own viewpoints, with reference to the aspects of social entrepreneurship – social enterprises – social economy and their role in overall economic development.

Author(s):  
Rodica Gherghina ◽  
Ioana Duca

In their scientific endeavour, the authors aim at analysing the concepts of social entrepreneurship and social economy, as well as emphasising the role these concepts play in sustainable business development and in the economic development of society as a whole. At the same time, several aspects of social enterprises are presented and their importance in the Romanian economic environment is emphasised. As these are two relatively new concepts in the social economy in Romania, the authors refer to the specialised literature throughout their research. The authors present several of the opportunities and challenges raised by social economy. The importance of financing is emphasised by means of presenting the organisations' financing sources which are specific to social economy. The conclusions to this research include some of the authors' own viewpoints, with reference to the aspects of social entrepreneurship – social enterprises – social economy and their role in overall economic development.


10.23856/3401 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 11-19
Author(s):  
Sabine Andrejeva ◽  
Erika Zubule ◽  
Daina Znotina

Social entrepreneurship promotes not only business development but also social and economic processes in the country. This means investing not only in economic development, but also reducing social problems in parallel. The aim of the study is to assess the role of social entrepreneurship in the social and economic context. The most important novelty of the study may be the assessment of the possibilities of development of social entrepreneurship in Latvia, updating the main aspects of its provision.


In the globalized economy, entrepreneurship is the asset for economic development. Social Entrepreneurship works to bring positive social, economic environmental outcomes for the society. Social entrepreneurs, in the globalised economy thriving to fit into effective and efficient business through solving community based problems. A social entrepreneur has greater impact in achieving sustainable business models and approaches through addressing social and environmental problems. The fast paced growth of new digital technologies provides powerful resources for facing existing social and environmental challenges. The research paper aims to reveal the role of Social entrepreneur benefits and Challenges in developing our Economy. The research is of an empirical nature and primary data are collected using convenient sampling techniques through a structured questionnaire. The study outcome will help the social entrepreneurs to enhance their business worth and for economic development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-72
Author(s):  
Maria Ilcheva

In 2018 the Bulgarian Government has launched a new legislation on the enterprises of social and solidarity economy as a political sign for the recognition of the role of social economy sector in the country. This was an expected result from the recent trend of development of the social economy in Bulgaria and the growing visibility of the sector and its consolidation with the policies of the European Union. At European policy level social economy and social enterprises are identified as a key instrument for employment and innovations which have a major role in overcoming the poverty and social exclusion. The aim of the law is to regulate the public relations related with the social and solidarity economy, the types of social enterprises and the measures for their support as well as the conditions and the requirements for the activities of social enterprises. As this is the first Bulgarian law on social economy it provides the bases for a public policy which stimulates the development of sector and establishes clear rules for a registry of social enterprises and a methodology for measuring the social added value. Тhe purpose of the current report is to provide an overview of the new policy and legislation in Bulgaria and to analyze the expected effects on the development of the social economy sector.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (Suppl.1) ◽  
pp. 176-180
Author(s):  
K. Stoyanov ◽  
G. Zhelyazkov

The social economy is a phenomenon that is gaining ever more significant dimensions, mainly because of its added value, which goes beyond measurable economic indicators. The role of enterprises operating in the social economy is also highly appreciated by the European Commission, which calculates their contribution to the European economy by more than 10% of its total. Because of the specificity and lack of specific legal rules, businesses use different business models to carry out their activities. The purpose of this study is to identify, define and evaluate the most commonly used business models of enterprises operating in the social economy, the so called third sector, analysing successful business practices. Using appropriate examples, including from Bulgaria, will be highlighted problematic issues for the functioning of social enterprises and some basic guidelines will be proposed to facilitate business operations in the social economy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angathevar Baskaran ◽  
VGR Chandran ◽  
Boon-Kwee Ng

Globally, entrepreneurship is expected to play a central role in achieving ‘inclusive growth’. This special issue draws on various developments related to the role of business incubators, academia and social enterprises towards achieving inclusive entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainable growth. A ‘successful entrepreneurship ecosystem’, which includes business incubation is fundamental for promoting economic growth. Over the years, business incubators are increasingly viewed as the facilitators of social inclusion and inclusive growth. Likewise, there has been an increasing focus on how society at large can gain benefit from the research activities of the academia and also how it can promote social and student entrepreneurship. Because of the positive contributions of the social enterprise sector in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), employment and positive social and environmental impacts, social entrepreneurship has gained recognition as a mainstream activity across the world. Consequently, many Asian countries have initiated a range of policies to support social entrepreneurship because of their perceived contributions towards inclusive growth.


Author(s):  
Gözde Morgül ◽  
Mine Afacan Fındıklı

This chapter examines the role of social enterprises/entrepreneurs from the perspective of the COVID-19 outbreak and discussed the importance of social entrepreneurship. In this context, answers to the following questions are sought: Did social enterprises/entrepreneurs stand out during the COVID-19 era, particularly the social value they created? Do social enterprises/entrepreneurs perform studies especially for groups experiencing social exclusion during the COVID-19 era? The study based on qualitative research reveals that by producing innovative, fast, and effective solutions social initiatives have won the approval of society. The headlines of leading media outlets published between December 2019 and June 2020 and discourses from social actors confirm the rising critical value of social entrepreneurs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-23
Author(s):  
Zdenko Babić ◽  
Danijel Baturina

The social economy sector in Croatia has been neglected for a long time and has not been recognized as a space for sustainable jobs and the development of a more inclusive and cohesive society, as is the case in many Eastern and Central European countries. On the other hand, social entrepreneurship is a relatively new phenomenon established in this century. The aim of this paper is to assess the trends and challenges of social economy development in Croatia as the newest, last EU member state. On the basis of a secondary data analysis, the paper scrutinizes trends in social economy development. Social entrepreneurship is analysed as a part of the social economy that is strengthening, as well as the economic activity of associations that tends to turn into a social economy or a solidarity economy. The paper will also give an overview of the instances of the institutional context of the development of cooperatives and social enterprises, such as the recent legislative and policy changes, as well as the institutional framework with some insights into recommendations how to promote the development of the social economy sector in Croatia. Keywords: social economy; cooperative sector; social enterprises; Croatia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-25
Author(s):  
Venelin Terziev ◽  
Natalia Bekiarova ◽  
Marin Georgiev

In the last decade the concept of development and promotion of social economy and social entrepreneurship are part of EU policy to tackle the social exclusion of persons in a vulnerable position. Also, the model of social economy is one of the key instruments for achieving social objectives within the framework of the sustainable and inclusive growth. Social benefits are measured by integration and employment of disadvantaged people, the contribution to the process of social inclusion of other vulnerable people, and the economic indicator is expressed by saved public funds for social welfare, on the one hand, and the additional funds compensating the social costs of long-term unemployment. What is important to happen is to create suitable conditions for the development of social enterprises with the widest possible range - vulnerable groups themselves and their problems are diverse and different, and the "answer" to their needs must be flexible in order to be efficient and effective; "way to solutions" is not important (the path may be different, as are diverse and vast opportunities for economic initiatives) that leads to the result itself, the result is important - better integration and sustainable tackling of social exclusion.The Economic and Social Council of the Republic of Bulgaria (ESC) believes that social enterprises in Bulgaria are still an untapped business model. Current social enterprises are mainly non-governmental organizations by applying the relevant legislation creating social enterprises whose business is focused on the realization of the social purpose and mission of the organization. Social enterprises in Bulgaria operate in various sectors, the most serious part are in: the delivery of social services; providing jobs for people with disabilities; mediation in finding employment of unemployed persons; provision of health services; аctivities in the field of education and others.In realizing these activities the leading is not the end product but the achieved social effect on individuals themselves expressed in obtaining the necessary support to integrate into society. In this sense, there are three basic models of social enterprises: The most common model is the one that creates jobs and develops the workforce. By business jobs are created primarily for people with disabilities. Most often the social enterprise is the employer of people with disabilities in order to achieve the integration of persons with disabilities in the labor market and create conditions for a better life. Another popular model of a social enterprise is the one in which the enterprise produces goods and seeks markets, also engaging with their distribution. Most often social enterprises involve persons with disabilities in the form of occupational therapy involved in the production of certain goods. Existing social enterprises in Bulgaria within this model are engaged in the manufacture of certain products by persons who are unemployed or socially excluded. The aim is to enable them to work and improve their social inclusion. The third existing model in Bulgaria is related to the provision of social services generally through payment of external customers, while social enterprise provides social services to its members. Payment is under contract with the state or a municipality. Within this model, services are provided to different users paid directly to social enterprise for direct service.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleksandr Lyakh

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 eco-system 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.


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