Preface

The Conference on Social Economy in Gdańsk aims at bringing together Polish and international circles that have a common belief, namely that social economy can offer effective solutions to important social problems. Our meeting in Gdańsk sums up the process, lasting for several recent years, of searching for the best models of activity within the social economy idea. We already met twice, in Kraków and Warsaw, and the present conference is held in the Gdańsk Shipyard – the birthplace of the Solidarity movement of 1980s. It is here where historical processes were initiated that have changed the fate of Europe. It is from here that the idea of solidarity radiated throughout the whole Poland and also to other countries. Our meeting here is based on the belief that the activities undertaken within social economy recall the best tradition of the Solidarity movement, but also that today, after almost twenty years, the idea of social economy can make the tradition alive again. Thus, we believe that social economy can become solidarity economy.

The Polish Social Economy Manifesto

This document h It is based mainly on the recommendations worked out under the Partnership “In search of the Polish model of social economy” and by the participants of the Standing Conference on Social Economy in Poland.

We invite you also to see  The Polish Model of the Social Economy: Recommendations for Growth. An invitation for a discussion, by Piotr Frączak, Jan Jakub Wygnański (eds), Foundation for Social and Economic Initiatives, Warsaw, March 2008.