Details
Year: 2016
Cited as: Cerritelli W.E, Doumit G., Menhall N., Samad O.A., 2016. Formulation mission and mapping: Support to Social Business Ecosystems in the Southern Mediterranean Countries. Synthesis Report.
Subject
The paper provides a description and analysis of:
• Social business ecosystems’ needs and constraints in the Mediterranean Partner Countries;
• Policy initiatives developed in support to social business by national authorities;
• Ongoing or planned cooperation initiatives addressing social business issues in the MPCs at bilateral and regional level;
• Relevant stakeholders (both in the EU and in the MPCs) in the field of social business.
Moreover, the report aims at producing a conceptual mapping of key sectors and characteristics of social enterprises in the MPCs.
Abstract
The conceptualization of Social Enterprises in the Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs) is still a work in progress. In many of the MPCs, the common perception (mainly at the institutional level) of Social Enterprises is focused on an outdated concept of Social Economy referring mainly (or exclusively) to Cooperatives.
Despite the little awareness around the concept of SE, absence of any relevant and legal framework and different social, cultural, economic, legal and political contexts, there has been a rising trend of organizations (international and local) supporting social innovation as a mean for combining social impact with financial sustainability.
Given this unclear understanding of SE, it is more worthwhile to define a set of parameters for stakeholders to identify with when dealing with the concept and that could create a base for a contextualized national policy and legal framework.
