Abstract
The development of the European social model rests on the concept of social entrepreneurship. The concept has a significant contribution to the development of the European social economy. Social entrepreneurship has a remarkable potential, through its innovative solutions, to play an indispensable role in the social cohesion of EU Member States. The development of social economy in the EU contributes significantly to employment creation, sustainable growth and a fairer distribution of income and wealth. Thanks to the social sector it is possible to combine profitability and social inclusion and to achieve correspondence between services and needs in the public and private sectors. It is essential that compared to other sectors this one has demonstrated its economic and social potential to better address the economic crisis. Therefore, it is getting more and more support for development in almost all EU countries. However, there are significant differences in the scope and scale of development of social economy within the European Union. The purpose of this study is to examine the state and development of social entrepreneurship based on different national models in six EU countries. The majority of the study is based on the results of the comparative analysis of experts’ evaluations occupying different positions in the social economy structure of the following European countries: Greece, Bulgaria, Ireland, Italy, Malta and Estonia.
Highlights
Social entrepreneurship is a concept that allows for the development of alternative models for doing business that aims at achieving socially significant and valuable goals
As the current study shows, social economy enterprises in their various forms play an important role in boosting the competitiveness and efficiency of the European economy in many different ways: by directing the fragmented and untapped resources towards economic activity; local resources mobilization; enhancing the culture of entrepreneurship; elimination of market rigidities; promotion of market flexibility and production at multiple locations - and these are just some of the examples
This enterprise is managed transparently with the participation of its members, it carries out its business activity and the profit is predominantly spent on the realization of its social activity and/or social objective in accordance with its Memorandum or Articles of association
Summary
Social entrepreneurship is a concept that allows for the development of alternative models for doing business that aims at achieving socially significant and valuable goals. The dynamics of current market development and socio-economic relationships require the creation of hybrid forms of organizations flexible enough to respond to market demand, and capable of assisting the state in the absence of specific resources and capacity to carry out its duties. In this sense, social entrepreneurship is a concept that is gaining popularity in Europe; it is increasingly being used to establish a wide range of organizations that pursue the achievement of a certain social impact. Social benefits are measured mainly with the integration and reintegration of disadvantaged people into public life, while economic and financial performance is measured with the saving of significant public funds allocated for social benefits and allowances
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