The concept of social economy has recently become fashionable. The development is beneficial, on the one hand, because it means that social economy has finally become more widely noticed, but on the other hand, we have to remember that, as with every fashion, the interest in the social economy may sooner or later also fade away. So in order to benefit from this wider interest and to form the basis for further debate, we should at least try to arrive at a common notion of the phenomenon, or if it is not possible, try to define the differences between our divergent concepts of the social economy.

Social economy can be seen from two perspectives: as way of conceiving economics, in the academic sense, or as a more practical approach, roughly synonymous with the concept of “social entrepreneurship”. The latter approach, though perhaps less formal, is typical for the contemporary understanding of social economy, at least in its more popular version. Social economy in this sense relates to practice: legislative issues as well as concrete institutions and their ways of operation. These are the main topics on which the present Report is focused.

 

Foundation for Social and Economic Initiatives

www.fise.org.pl