Current Socio-Economic Challenges. Approaching Sustainability and Social Economy

Abstract

Starting with 2015, The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015), the global new plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity has raised debates in the academic and research environments, and not only. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a broad and universal policy agenda, with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with 169 associated targets that are integrated and indivisible. Building on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the 2030 Agenda seeks to guide the Member States to transform their approach to achieve inclusive, people-centered, and sustainable development with no one left behind. This Agenda is recognizing that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the most significant global challenge and a requirement for sustainable development. We are still facing and debating on many economic, social, and environmental challenges. For example, in 2020, at the end of the Europe 2020 strategy, we still discuss in Europe about some dimensions of the Horizon 2020 societal challenges such as health, demographic change, and wellbeing; sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy; secure, clean and efficient energy; smart, green and integrated transport; climate action, environment, resource efficiency, and raw materials; Europe in a changing world - inclusive, innovative and reflective societies, or secure societies… Trying to respond to such challenges and not only, Europe is implementing Circular Economy Package, and at the same time is strengthening the social economy sector, which can have a substantial contribution to economic development, social inclusion, as well as green and digital transitions. Consequently, approaching Sustainability, Sustainable Development concept, and (or) Social Economy and various types of social economy entities, is becoming more and more imperative and frequently met in academia. This Special Issue of the Management Dynamics and Knowledge Economy journal on the topic of " Current socio-economic challenges. Approaching Sustainability and Social Economy ” provides a venue for high-quality research works of academics and researchers in these actual challenging topics.