Ecosystem mapping : Country factsheet
Netherlands 🇳🇱
Key facts
Population
Current population of The Netherlands –
17,533,044
Data supplied by the World Bank
GDP
Current GDP of The Netherlands –
1,012,846.76 ($ millions)
Data supplied by the World Bank
World Happiness Index
The Netherlands currently ranks 7.415 out of 10.
Since 2002, the World Happiness Report has used statistical analysis to determine the world’s happiest countries. To determine the world’s happiest country, researchers analysed comprehensive Gallup polling data from 149 countries for the past three years, specifically monitoring performance in six particular categories: gross domestic product per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make your own life choices, generosity of the general population, and perceptions of internal and external corruption levels.
Read The European Social Enterprise Monitor Report, 2021 – 2022
The European Commission is proud to support this year’s European Social Enterprise Monitor (ESEM), the second edition covering the period 2021- 2022. This report builds on the seminal work of the first ESEM 2020-2021 and has impressively scaled from eight to 21 countries in just one year across the EU and the wider European neighbourhood. It provides key data and insights for policy-makers, investors, support organisations, academia and social entrepreneurs themselves.
Country factsheet: ESEM SEs in The Netherlands
(Source: ESEM)
Perceived Political Support Grade
- 45.5% perceive national political support for social entrepreneurship to be low, very low or non-existent
Top 3 Business Sectors (UN ISIC)
- Human health and social work activities (22.7%)
- Manufacturing (13.6%)
- Wholesale and retail trade; and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (11.7%)
Company Size (OECD)
- Micro enterprises 61.0%
- Small enterprises 24.7%
- Medium enterprises 9.1%
- Large enterprises 4.5%
Top 3 UN SDGs
#8 – Decent work and economic growth (63.6%)
#3 – Good health and well-being (58.4%)
#10 – Reduced inequalities (48.1%)
Impact Management & Measurement
- 66.9% currently measure their social/environmental impact; 18.2% plan to do so
- 38.9% refer to the UN SDGs in impact reporting; 16.9% plan to do so
Top 3 Beneficiaries (Persons)
- Individuals with mental illness/health problems/psychological/neurological disabilities (27.3%)
- Long-term unemployed (26.0%)
- Individuals with very low income/debts/in poverty (22.1%)
Top 3 Sources of External Financing
- Public financing (31.2%)
- Foundation funding (21.4%)
- Impact investment (12.3%)
Funding Gap
On average, Dutch ESEM SEs only managed to secure enough funding to meet 76.1% out of 100% of their financing needs in the past 12 months. Gap = 23.9%.
Top 3 Key Barriers
- Poor understanding/awareness of social enterprises among the general public and customers (40.9%)
- Poor understanding/awareness of social enterprises among banks, investors and support organisations (37.7%)
- Difficulties in maintaining or attracting customers (30.5%)
READ FULL NETHERLANDS FACT SHEET
Key Stakeholders & Members
Social Enterprise NL
Type of organisation: National Network for Social Enterprises/Enterpreneurs
Website – www.social-enterprise.nl
Social Enterprise NL is the Dutch national network for social enterprises. As a national membership body, Social Enterprise NL represents, connects and supports the growing community of social enterprises in The Netherlands.
Social Enterprise NL aims to increase the visibility of social enterprises by:
- Providing support to its members: business support programs, accelerators and network events;
- Facilitating a favourable business environment: influence government, public bodies, corporations, and investors to break down barriers for success of social enterprises;
- Inspiring social and entrepreneurial action: encourage more research and education on the topic of social entrepreneurship, and by endorsing social entrepreneurs and their enterprises.
Forward Incubator
Type of organisation: Social Incubator and Accelerator
Website: www.newcomersforward.com
Forward Incubator is a social incubator devoted to helping newcomers pursue their
entrepreneurial dreams. ForwardInc does this by empowering them to launch, grow, fund, and sustain their own businesses.
Other Stakeholders
Incubators/Accelerators
Coming soon
Funders
Coming soon
Universities/Research Centres
Coming soon
Key Policies
Key Legal and Policy Framework Overview
Introduction
Dutch Civil Code
Public Procurement Act (2012)
Financing and Support Measures
Key policy documents
Boosting social entrepreneurship and social enterprise development in the Netherlands : In-depth policy review
Ecosystem Country Mapping – Netherlands Fact Sheet 2023Funding Partners
Relevant Resources
Ecosystem Country Mapping – Netherlands Fact Sheet 2023
Details Year: 2021 -2022 Published in: 2023 Subject These mappings provide a comprehensive overview of the key dimensions that comprise national social enterprise and social economy (SE) ecosystems across The Netherlands. They encompass country and social enterprise industry data, profiles of the EN members and other important stakeholders who provide various support services essential to [...]
Public Procurement Monitoring Report of the Netherlands
Details Year: 2021 Published in: www.overheid.nl Cited as: n/a Subject Public Procurement, Netherlands Abstract This report presents an overview of Dutch public procurement practice over the years 2018, 2019 and 2020, in both quantitative and qualitative terms. With this report, the Netherlands fulfils the monitoring obligations laid down in Articles 83 and 85 of Procurement [...]
A Review of Dutch Policy for Socially Responsible Public Procurement
Details Year: 2014 Published in: SOMO: Amsterdam Cited as: Ten Kate, G. "A review of dutch policy for socially responsible public procurement." SOMO: Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2014). Subject Netherlands, Human Rights, Social Entrepreneurship Abstract SOMO values the exemplary role of the Dutch government and believes in the positive influence that procurement policy can have on [...]
Dutch Connections: A Review of Sustainable Procurement by the Dutch Government with a Focus on Procurement With Potential Impact in Other Countries Through the Supply Chain
Details Year: 2019 Published in: EcoValue Cited as: n/a Subject Sustainable Procurement, Netherlands, Supply Chain Abstract This review is part of a broader evaluation6 of the Dutch government policy on International Responsible Business Conduct7 (IRBC) carried out by the Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It aims to assess [...]
Commissioning with Ambition, Procuring With Impact: National Plan on Sustainable Public Procurement for 2021-2025
Details Year: 2021 Published in: Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management Cited as: n/a Subject Sustainable Public Procurement, Netherlands Abstract Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) is an effective instrument to help reduce CO2 emissions, the environmental impact and use of raw materials, to achieve an inclusive labour market and to tackle abuses involving people and [...]
Public Procurement Monitoring Report of the Netherlands
Details Year: 2021 Published in: ... Cited as: ... Subject Dutch public procurement practice Abstract This report presents an overview of Dutch public procurement practice over the years 2018, 2019 and 2020, in both quantitative and qualitative terms. With this report, the Netherlands fulfils the monitoring obligations laid down in Articles 83 and 85 of [...]
Goal heterogeneity at start-up: are greener start-ups more innovative?
Details Year: 2020 Published in: Research Policy Cited as: Hoogendoorn, B., P. van der Zwan and R. Thurik (2020). "Goal heterogeneity at start-up: are greener start-ups more innovative?" Research Policy: 104061. Abstract Start-ups differ in the extent to which they introduce innovations to markets and, hence, in their potential contribution to society. Understanding the heterogeneous [...]
Understanding social enterprise in The Netherlands: An application of the macro-institutional social enterprise framework to identify the institutional characteristics of social enterprise in The Netherlands
Details Year:2019 Published in: Social Enterprise Journal Cited as: Backer Joost, W. (2019). "Understanding social enterprise in The Netherlands: An application of the macro-institutional social enterprise framework to identify the institutional characteristics of social enterprise in The Netherlands." Social Enterprise Journal 16(1): 18-45. Abstract This paper aims to provide a qualitative country case study of [...]
Boosting social entrepreneurship and social enterprise development in the Netherlands : In-depth policy review
Details Year: 2019 Published in: Paris: OECD Publishing Cited as: Aisenberg, L., et al. (2019), "Boosting social entrepreneurship and social enterprise development in the Netherlands: In-depth policy review", OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Papers, No. 2019/01, OECD Publishing, Paris Abstract In-depth policy review| This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Dutch policy [...]
The Brabant Outcomes Fund’s first expedition
Details Year: 2018 Published in: ... Cited as: ... Abstract This first round of the Brabant Outcomes Fund proved to be an educational expedition. An exploration of a new funding method for an even more beautiful province. One that is open, inclusive and green, and in which the government, entrepreneurs and investors adopt active roles. [...]
Relevant Research Experts
Wiebke Heinze
PhD Candidate Wiebke Heinze PhD Candidate Netherlands w.heinze@maastrichtuniversity.nl Universities & Institutions Maastricht University Areas of Interest Social entrepreneurship Collective entrepreneurship Cross-sector partnerships Entrepreneurial ecosystems Wiebke Heinze is a PhD Candidate in Social Entrepreneurship at the Department of Organization, Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University. She obtained her MSc in [...]
Philip Marcel Karré
Assistant Professor Philip Marcel Karré Netherlands karre@essb.eur.nl Universities & Institutions Erasmus University Rotterdam Areas of Interest Governing and managing hybridity Hybrid organizations Social entrepreneurship Biography coming soon ... See all work by this Author
Peter van der Zwan
PhD Peter van der Zwan The Netherlands p.w.van.der.zwan@law.leidenuniv.nl Universities & Institutions Leiden University Areas of Interest Entrepreneurial finance Role of entrepreneurs within the economy Wellbeing Dr. Peter van der Zwan is an associate professor at the Department of Business Studies at Leiden Law School. He obtained his MSc in Econometrics (2007) and PhD in Economics [...]
Brigitte Hoogendoorn
PhD Brigitte Hoogendoorn The Netherlands bhoogendoorn@ese.eur.nl Universities & Institutions Erasmus School of Economics Areas of Interest Entrepreneurship Senior entrepreneurship Social entrepreneurship Sustainability Brigitte Hoogendoorn is an Assistant Professor at the Erasmus School of Economics. Brigitte Hoogendoorn (1972) graduated in economics at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in 1996. Subsequently, she started her professional [...]
Giuseppe Criaco
Giuseppe Criaco The Netherlands criaco@rsm.nl Universities & Institutions Erasmus University Rotterdam Areas of Interest Entrepreneurship Family Business Giuseppe Criaco is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Department of Strategic Management & Entrepreneurship at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. Giuseppe’s research focuses on three main themes: (a) the effect of pre-entry experience and post-entry [...]
Hans Wevers
Teacher, Researcher & PhD Candidate Hans Wevers Netherlands Universities & Institutions Open Universiteit Areas of Interest Entrepreneurship development Business model innovation Biography Hans Wevers is a Teacher and Researcher at the Open University Netherlands, where is currently also pursuing a PhD on the potential role of social entrepreneurship in the EU Cohesion Policy and its [...]
Reinout Kleinhans
Associate Professor Reinout Kleinhans Netherlands r.j.kleinhans@tudelft.nl Universities & Institutions TU Delft Areas of Interest Urban regeneration Self-organisation Community entrepreneurship Online/offline citizen engagement Social capital Collective efficacy Dr Kleinhans is Associate Professor of Urban Regeneration at the Department of Urbanism at Delft University of Technology. Recently, he has also been appointed as Delft Education Fellow 2020-2021. [...]
Albert Meijer
Professor Albert Meijer Netherlands A.J.Meijer@uu.nl Universities & Institutions University of Utrecht School of Governance Areas of Interest Co-Production E-Governance Innovation Open Data Albert Jacob Meijer is Professor of Public Management at the University of Utrecht School of Governance. Albert studied chemistry at the University of Nijmegen and communication science at Wageningen University. After finishing his studies, [...]
Karin Geuijen
Assistant Professor Karin Geuijen Netherlands k.geuijen@uu.nl Universities & Institutions Utrecht School of Governance Areas of Interest Refugees Public Organisations Service Innovation Networks Entrepreneurship Karin Geuijen is assistant professor at Utrecht University School of Governance. She coordinates the master programme Public Management and the honours programme Young Innovators. Karin's main research interests focus on the role which [...]
Taco Brandsen
Professor Taco Brandsen Netherlands t.brandsen@fm.ru.nl Universities & Institutions Radboud University EMES Areas of Interest Public services Taco Brandsen is Professor of public administration at Radboud University, The Netherlands. He has conducted extensive research on how social innovation, public sector innovation and on how goverments collaborate with citizens, civil society and social enterprises. He is Vice-President [...]
Sjoerd Kamerbeek
Sjoerd Kamerbeek Netherlands kamerbeeks@vandoorne.co Universities & Institutions Utrecht University Areas of Interest Corporate law Corporate governance Venture capital Social entrepreneurship Lecturer; Board Member; Lawyer Sjoerd specializes in corporate law, in which he is particularly involved in advising on stakeholder management and assisting companies in disputes and procedures in the field of commercial and corporate litigation. [...]
Rob van Tulder
Professor Rob van Tulder Netherlands rtulder@rsm.nl Universities & Institutions RSM Erasmus University Research & Expertise Business & society management Sustainability United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Cross-sector partnerships Multinational enterprise strategies High-tech industries Corporate social responsibility Issues management Skills development Network strategies Smaller industrial countries European Community/ Union policies Rob van Tulder is a professor of [...]
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