Social Entrepreneurship in Croatia: A Framework for Development

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship in Croatia is a rather new phenomenon and is still poorly developed. The term appeared in the public discourse rather late, in 2006, and since then has increased to the point where a strategy for social entrepreneurship has been initiated. However, this has not been followed by actual growth of social entrepreneurship initiatives. Also, social entrepreneurship has not yet been properly studied and systematic insights are lacking. The paper continues on from the findings of the author’s PhD research and its intention is to provide an understanding of the socio-economic, political and cultural context in which social entrepreneurship emerges, as well as an overview of the current stage of its development in Croatia. The main focus was put on the analysis of institutional development, including the legal and financial framework. Therefore, a comparative overview of organizational and legal forms currently suitable for social entrepreneurship has been presented. The analysis points out the main advantages and limitations of the present framework and analyses how particular actors and processes are shaping the direction of further development of social entrepreneurship in Croatia.