Presentación del monográfico: "Fondos estructurales de la Unión Europea: balance, reforma y perspectivas"

THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL ECONOMY: CONCEPT AND DIMENSIONS OF THE THIRD SECTOR

ABSTRACT**: In recent years a new context has emerged in Europe characterized by a larger growing Europe, the creation of a new European platform for social economy named ‘Social Economy Europe’ and an improvement in research, networks and initiatives in this area from certain European Institutions such as the European Social and Economic Committee. This paper focuses on recurrent, but needing clarification, topics such as the question of definitions, the national recognition of the concept of Social Economy and the size of this European third sector. It begins with a proposition of a conceptual delimitation of the Social Economy and of the different classes of company and organization that…

E-corporate social responsibility in socially responsible firms: the case of Spanish firms

The design and the content of a website that is positively valued by the firm's stakeholders can become a source of competitive advantage. In recent years, information on the extent to which the firm undertakes its social responsibility and environmental protection efforts is gaining increasing interest among the agents with whom it interacts. The aim of this paper is to analyse e-corporate social responsibility in firms listed in the socially responsible investment index FTSE4Good Ibex, focusing on the type of information concerning the corporate social responsibility, which this type of firms provides via their websites.

Gobiernos locales y política de fomento de las cooperativas y la economía social: entre canal de transmisión de la política multinivel y agente proactivo en el ecosistema territorial. El caso valenciano

Este trabajo analiza el papel desempeñado en la actualidad por los gobiernos locales de la Comunitat Valenciana en materia de fomento del cooperativismo y la economía social. Además de ofrecer información empírica al respecto, para la región valenciana de España, valorando el grado de implicación de los poderes públicos locales, los tipos de políticas desplegados, los factores limitantes en su despliegue y las características comunes de los municipios más activos, se ha analizado el papel sistémico de estos gobiernos locales desde un doble rol, el de ser un canal de transmisión, desde la perspectiva multinivel, de la política de economía social promovida desde niveles supramunicipales, en p…

Social Economy Managers: Between Values and Entrenchment

Managers play a key role in Social Economy corporate governance and can determine the path that these companies will take. This article analyses the theoretical aspects underlying the central role of managers in Social Economy enterprises, the nature of these strategic human resources, particularly the variables that influence their behaviour, and their ability to shape paths or strategies that strengthen or undermine the Social Economy identity of these enterprises. Finally, taking a prescriptive approach, it examines the advantages and limitations of different options for management selection and control.

Presentación del monográfico "El balance social en la economía social"

E‐corporate social responsibility in small non‐profit organisations: the case of Spanish ‘Non Government Organisations’

The image and the reputation of small NGOs have direct bearing on the capacity of these entities to retain and attract members, volunteers and donors. These attributes have been linked to the concept of Social Responsibility. Therefore, for NGOs to be socially responsible and to make this fact known is a key factor that will have a positive influence on their image and reputation and will contribute to their being recognised and to strengthening social confidence in them. This article analyses the e‐corporate social responsibility in Spanish NGOs. It shows the infra‐use that NGOs make of the Internet as an information medium to communicate their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practic…

INTRODUCTION: RECENT TRENDS IN SOCIAL ECONOMY RESEARCH

ABSTRACT:  International research on the social economy has undergone three important changes over the last five years. Firstly, the socioeconomic reality subject of this research has suffered a profound transformation as a result of the impact and the prolongation of the crisis and the expectations created in relation to the role of the social economy. Secondly, the topics under scrutiny by the scientific community have changed gradually over these years adapting to the macro and micromutations being studied. Thirdly, we have witnessed what may be considered the definitive consolidation and institutionalization of research into the social economy and its scientific community. This latter i…

Presentación del monográfico ‘Economía social y sector no lucrativo’

Economía social y sector no lucrativo: Actualidad científica y perspectivas

In this paper, we intend to analyze some scientific questions of current importance in the Social Economy field and Non-profit sector. In the first place, we show the growing economical importance of this field in Europe, based on the results obtained in the last transnational study. Secondly, we try to think about the concept of non-profit as well as about the position of co-operatives and associations within the Non-profit sector, introducing some criteria of analysis. Immediately after, we study this economical field under a “social” point of view. Finally, the paper analyses the place and content of Social Economy, both business and non-profit sectors, within the limits of European publ…

Le partenariat public-OSBL dans les services sociaux. Le cas espagnol

The article considers the social services supply in the Spanish area of Valencia. The objective is double. First the authors analyse what describes the partnership between public sector and NPO in this area, by using a systemic conception of the social services sector where three main functions can be identified (financing, production and distribution, and regulation). Secondly they search for theoretical arguments explaining this partnership principle. This second section is mainly based on the NPO approach.

Public Policies and Social Economy in Spain and Europe

The article considers different economic policies likely to affect the social economy sector as an institutional sector. In a first time it sets up an analytical framework which allows to apprehend the policies contents and offers three typologies. In the light of this framework it first makes a global evaluation of policies implemented in Europe and then focuses on Spain, one of the Union countries with the highest level of development of these policies. Finally, the author evaluates the efficiency of the main measures of economic policy applied in this country.

La economía social como enfoque metodológico, como objeto de estudio y como disciplina científica

This article continues an article written by the same author and published by CIRIEC-España in 1997 (no. 25). It analyses social economy at three cognitive levels: first, as a social reality (Social Economy); second, as a scientific discipline which studies its previous reality (the science of Social Economy); third, as a methodological approach in social sciences (the approach of Social Economy). The author claims that, at these three levels, social economy becomes an alternative way of “making the economy”.

El modelo cooperativo de sistemas agroalimentarios de innovación: el caso ANECOOP y el sistema citrícola valenciano

English title: The cooperative model of agri-food innovation systems: ANECOOP and the Valencian citrus industry; International audience; Globalisation brings pressure on regional production systems to become regional production and innovation systems in order to maintain their competitiveness. However, the heterogeneity of the companies in these systems makes it difficult to respond to these challenges and obliges the response to be collective and mesoeconomic. To date, there has been a defence of the leadership of some private companies and other intermediaries such as business associations as vehicles of this process, but the part that cooperatives play in it has barely been studied. This…

Social Economy, an international perspective. Introduction

Politiques publiques et economie sociale en Europe: Le cas de l'Espagne

Cet article examine les differentes politiques economiques susceptibles d’avoir des repercussions sur l’economie sociale en tant que secteur institutionnel.En premier lieu il presente un cadre d’analyse permettant d’apprehender les contenus des politiques et en offre trois typologies.A la lumiere de ce cadre dans unpremier temps il fait unbilan global des politiques mises en oeuvre en Europe pour se centrer dans un deuxieme temps sur l’Espagne l’un des pays de l’Union ou le niveau de developpement de ces politiques est le plus avance .Pour terminer, l’auteur evalue l’efficacite des principales mesures de politique economique mises en oeuvre dans ce pays. The article considers different econ…