Abstract
Social economy refers to a third sector in economies between the private sector and business, or the public sector and government. It includes organizations such as cooperatives, non-profit organizations, social businesses and charities. Social economy usually develops because of a need to find new and innovative solutions to issues — whether they are socially, economically or environmentally based — and to satisfy the needs of members and users, which have been ignored or inadequately fulfilled by the private or public sectors. By using solutions to achieve not-for-profit aims, it is generally believed that the social economy has a distinct and valuable role to play in helping create a strong, sustainable, prosperous and inclusive society. The social economy is a significant source of employment that has contributed to curbing the impact of the 2008 economic crisis in Europe.
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Notes
European Economic Social Committee (2012) The social economy in the European Union, see Table 6.2, p.39, available at http://www.eesc.eu:?i=portal;en. publications.25448.
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© 2014 Jean-Jacques Lambin
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Lambin, JJ. (2014). A Social Economy. In: Rethinking the Market Economy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137392916_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137392916_10
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