Social enterprise and their eco-system: A European mapping report of Norway

This fiche is part of the study “Social enterprises and their ecosystems in Europe” and it provides an overview of the social enterprise landscape in Norway based on available information as of December 2018.

Membership-based voluntary organisations contributed significantly to the creation of public welfare during their first phase of development from mid-18th century to World War I. During the post-World War II period, up until the early 1980s, the Norwegian Labour Party rose as the dominant driving force for a strong state responsibility for social issues. It was the origin of the term “welfare state”. Most voluntary organisations supported state initiatives during this period, since many of them had long advocated for public responsibility with regard to social needs. From the late 1970s and early 1980s, the introduction and rapid spread of New Public Management (NPM) principles created deep roots in the public sector although it did not disrupt the state-dominant model…