Social enterprise for sustainable societies. From research to practice and back

Issues such as growing social inequalities, massive unemployment, lack of economic democracy and environmental unsustainability have increased the global expectations from social enterprises. Each in its own way, governments,... [ view full abstract ]

Issues such as growing social inequalities, massive unemployment, lack of economic democracy and environmental unsustainability have increased the global expectations from social enterprises. Each in its own way, governments, civil society actors, non-profit leaders and the business sector are seeking to discover, or rediscover, new possibilities for promoting economic approaches while targeting social aims. In this opening plenary, four models of social enterprises (social cooperative, entrepreneurial non profit, public sector social enterprise and social business) will be described, each one being characterized by a specific institutional trajectory. Each one will be illustrated by an example (video) around of the world where the social enterprise manager answers the following questions:

• What does your social enterprise do and what are its objectives?
• How does your social enterprise contribute to the transition toward a sustainable society?
• Which are the three most pressing challenges faced by your social enterprise when contributing to that transition?
• How can research support your social enterprise in addressing those challenges?

Four researchers will develop some challenges faced by research in their understanding of how social enterprises can participate to a more sustainable society.

- Marthe Nyssens, UCLouvain, EMES president
- Jo Barraket, Centre for Social Impact Swinburne, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
- Marek Hudon, CERMi, ULB, Belgium
- Akira Yonezawa, Meijigakuin University, Japan