Article

 

SOCIAL ECONOMY & SOCIAL ENTERPRISES: Institutional issues, impact, and historical resilience  (p.13-16)  [Fichier PDF]
 
by
 
Yorgos RIZOPOULOS , University of Paris
Dimitra PAPADIMITRIOU, University of Patras
Niki GLAVELI, University of Aegean
 
Keywords : Social economy, Social enterprise
JEL classification : B55, L20, L31
 
Abstract
Social economy is the expression of a social, political and cultural movement aimed at the promotion of production and exchange activities governed by participatory practices, self-organization, democracy, ethics, transparency and social responsibility. It relies on the conscious participation of employees organized within work collectives in order to promote their political autonomy, through principles of government and managerial practices based on equality, reciprocity and solidarity among members. The ability of social economy to have an impact on sustainable development at local and national level depends on factors traced both at the macro and the micro level.

 

 

“SOCIAL” ENTERPRISE BY THE “SOCIALIZATION OF CAPITAL” PROCESS IN CAPITALISM (p.17-37)  [Fichier PDF]
 
by
 
Constantinos V. LAMBROPOULOS, GENERAL CONFEDERATION OF WORKERS OF GREECE
 
Keywords : Social Enterprise, Social Economy, Socialism, Classical Political Economy, Marx, Engels
JEL classification : B14, J54, P13
 
Abstract
This paper argues alongside the Marxian – Engelsian variant of the Classical Political Economy by considering “social” enterprise as the end outcome of the process of “socialization of the capital” in capitalism. The main theoretical finding of the paper is that “social” enterprise is the enterprise which is owned by all citizens except those who work in it as its salaried employees. This thesis is completely original in the bibliography. Consequently, “social” economy, i.e., the integrated total of “social” enterprises, belongs in common to all citizens by joint share-holding of their capital. Consequently, “social” economy is the economic synonym to a value-based “socialism” minimizing but not eliminating surplus-value, i.e., exploitation of man by man.

 

 

SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN BULGARIA: POST-SOCIALIST LEGACY AND STRATEGIC CHANGES OF NPOs AND WORKERS’ COOPERATIVES (p.39-56)  [Fichier PDF]
 
by
 
Mariyana AMOVA, University of Paris
 
Keywords : Social Enterprise, Social and Solidarity Economy, Non-profit Organizations, Workers Cooperatives
JEL classification : L31, L26, J54
 
Abstract
This article presents the main factors, features and challenges of the development of social enterprises by worker’s cooperatives and non-profit organizations (NPOs) since the 1990s post-socialist transition until the adoption of the Law on the enterprises of the Social and solidarity economy in 2018. These factors and features have been identified through an extensive case study on the emergence of the Social and solidarity economy (SSE) in Bulgaria conducted between 2015 and 2019. The study shows that social enterprises in Bulgaria are not a new organizational model, but are rather strongly dependent on the heritage of the NPOs and cooperative sectors since the transition. The social enterprise appears as either funding or legitimation strategy implemented by umbrella organizations. We examine several challenges of the development of social enterprises by NPOs and cooperatives related to their specific features and to the required support from the public actor.

 

 

THE EDUCATIONAL ECOSYSTEM OF SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES: INSIGHTS FROM EUROPE (p.57-78)  [Fichier PDF]
 
by
 
Luigi CORVO, UNIVERSITY OF ROME “TOR VERGATA”
Lavinia PASTORE, UNIVERSITY OF ROME “TOR VERGATA”
Arianna MANTI , UNIVERSITY OF ROME “TOR VERGATA”
Aikaterini SOTIROPOULOU, UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS
Erzetic Barbara HVALIC, UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA
Irma POTOCNIK, UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA
Marie TAYLOR, LIMERICK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
 
Keywords : Social enterprise, Sustainability, Growth, Training, Education
JEL classification : A2, B55, L31
 
Abstract
Social Enterprise (SE) has been an established field of research and training for more than two decades in EU, (EC 2020) and curricula on social enterprise today exist in the high-level educational system (HE) and Vocational Education and Training (VET), both in countries where the social enterprise is widespread and in countries where it is a new trend (Borzaga 2020). This paper reviews the provision of education and training for SE, at HE and VET level, in Italy, Greece, Ireland and Slovenia, with the aim to deepen on what themes are addressed under the topics of sustainability and growth, as well as how social impact is combined with sustainability and growth. Moreover, a focus is given to the training approaches and techniques most utilized by lecturers. The research shows that the provision of education and training in SE varies greatly. The findings identify a range of teaching contents used to address the same topic, specifically for the two issues analyzed (sustainability and growth). At the same time the awareness of the key challenges that characterized SE education programs is broadly shared.

 

 

CREDIT COOPERATIVES IN BULGARIA AND ROMANIA: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES (p.79-101)  [Fichier PDF]
 
by
 
Tsvetelina MARINOVA, NEW BULGARIAN UNIVERSITY and University of Picardie Jules Verne
 
Keywords : Rural credit cooperatives, Popular banks, Balkan countries, Agriculture, Socioeconomic development
JEL classification : N53, N54, P13, O13, R51
 
Abstract
The paper aims at exploring the emergence and evolution of cooperative credit institutions (particularly agricultural credit cooperatives and rural popular banks) in two Balkan countries (Bulgaria and Romania) during different periods of their socioeconomic development (Ottoman, capitalist, socialist and post-socialist/capitalist) from the second half of 19th century till nowadays. Rural credit cooperatives and popular banks became the most widespread and important lending institutions to the peasants from the beginning of 20th century to WWII. The paper discusses the dominant role of the state in the proliferation of credit cooperatives in Bulgaria and Romania which predetermined similarities and divergences in their institutional paths of development. Furthermore, I am interested in the major causes for their disappearance in the post-socialist period as well as the main challenges to credit cooperatives today.

 

 

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL BANKING ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (p.103-123)  [Fichier PDF]
 
by
 
Stefanos DOURTMES, INTERNATIONAL HELLENIC UNIVERSITY
Andreas ANDRIKOPOULOS, UNIVERSITY OF AEGEAN
 
Keywords : Social banking, Economic development, General least squares, Panel data set, Random effects model
JEL classification : G21, O16
 
Abstract
We investigate the association between social banking and economic development. We employed a random effects model to estimate panel regressions on annual GDP per capita growth and assess the variables that concern social banking and can affect economic development. We find statistically a significant relationship between social banking and economic development in developing countries. It seems that social impact and financial sustainability, even when achieved simultaneously, can be beneficial for the economy.

 

 

DETERMINANTS OF SURVIVAL: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM EUROPEAN SOCIAL AND NON-SOCIAL ENTERPRISES (p.125-141)  [Fichier PDF]
 
by
 
Kristjana JACE, HELLENIC OPEN UNIVERSITY
Leonidas MAROUDAS, UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS
 
Keywords : Social and non-social enterprises; Bankruptcy; Empirical analysis
JEL classification : G33, L25, L26, L31
 
Abstract
This study contrasts bankrupt social enterprises with bankrupt non-social enterprises in order to identify distinguishing financial features (if any) influencing the survival prospects of aforementioned groups. To do so we explore a rich sample of 1249 European firms for the period 2008-2017. We provide empirical evidence that certain financial figures such as sales growth and leverage do affect differently social and non-social enterprises. Future research could verify these results using more advanced econometric techniques and a battery of additional sensitivity tests.

 

 

Tsvetelina Marinova, Economie sociale et solidaire dans les pays des Balkans - Bulgarie, Roumanie, Serbie : quels enseignements (p.143-147)  [Fichier PDF]
 
by
 
Nikolay NENOVSKY , University of Picardie Jules Verne
 
 
Abstract
Book review