Research project SE/D8/03 (Research action SE)
Today, the importance of the social economy, especially its "associations" component, is such that we can truly speak of a third sector
supplementing by its specific contributions the action of the traditional public and private sectors. Yet the boundaries of the social economy are
far from impermeable and there exist many partnerships with the classic private sector and even more with the public sector. One may even
assert that it is amply associated with the major functions of the public authorities. It is therefore natural to ask the question: to what extent can
the social economy contribute to meeting the challenges posed by the current crisis of the Welfare State and the difficulties encountered by the
public authorities in striving to curb unemployment?
Understanding the assets and weaknesses of the social economy and its development prospects is hindered by several types of difficulty: the
absence of a precise, unanimously accepted definition of this "third sector", the inadequacy of available statistics pertaining to it, and the
difficulty of grasping its specific internal dynamics. In turn, thus very deficient comprehension of the social economy makes it very tricky for public
authorities to design and implement measures liable to encourage its development.
Without purporting to remove all obstacles, the present research paves the way towards better qualitative and quantitative knowledge of
this social economy sector, so as to facilitate the elaboration of appropriate policies by the public authorities, particularly at federal level.
This research combines two types of approach:
*a general approach describing as precisely as possible the social economy sector, to evaluate the importance of its "associations"
component, by far the most difficult to grasp, and finally to lay foundations for a more systematic collection of statistics on the socio-economic
realities of these associations;
*analyses of a more `micro' nature focusing on the specific dynamics of the social economy, its assets and weaknesses as compared to the
rationales elaborated by the traditional public and private sectors. These analyses are conducted on the basis of an in-depth examination of
two of the most promising activity segments: "proximity services" and "social enterprises" aiming at insertion of the least skilled
workers. Prospectively, we seek to identify conditions for sustainable development of these activities and measures the public authorities
might take, notably as concerns the legal and financial framework, to favour this development.
Economie sociale: enjeux conceptuels, insertion par le travail et services de proximité
Defourny, Jacques - Nicaise, Ides - Bajoit, Guy ... et al. Bruxelles: De Boeck Université, 2001 (PB5584)
Sociale economie: conceptualisering, sociale tewerkstelling en buurtdiensten
Defourny, Jacques - Nicaise, Ides - Bajoit, Guy ... et al. Antwerpen: Standaard Uitg., 2000 (PB5585)
