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The Circular Economy (CE) is frequently touted as important for building sustainability. Despite growing interest in CE, few theories have provided effective on-the-ground tools for building circularity. This case study of an agricultural organization in Western Canada illustrates how the logic of complexity helps frame and sustain a CE. Interviewees embraced complexity to manage the messy, unpredictable work of CE. Although preliminary, this suggests the possibility that circular economy-like behaviour may be more complex than currently understood. Interviewees represented complex systems thinkers in the wild and could help others seeking to build their own CE initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social purpose organizations, whether from the community sector or the social economy, are faced with a growing number of funders demanding the adoption of private-sector productivity standards. These organizations must present reports analyzing their social impacts. At the same time, they are faced with an economic and social environment marked by crises. Issues such as climate change, wealth inequality, and systemic racism are becoming increasingly important in their communities. They are sensitive to these issues and want to understand and tackle them. However, the tools for analyzing systemic crises are different from impact assessment models. Given the importance of these two perspectives, the author imagines an analytical framework combining social efficiency modeling and macrosocial modeling. To do so, he mobilizes the principle of social effect recently developed by Philippe Dufort, which he implements within a logical model of social impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the concept of "governance," power in contemporary societies is shared between a multiplicity of players from the public, private and associative sectors. While the state and large private companies holding logging permits have held a central position in the development of Québec's public forests for the past two centuries, a governance perspective allows us to see the contribution of other, more peripheral players, notably those from the social economy. In recent decades, research has highlighted the role of forestry cooperatives, controlled harvesting zones, forestry groups and community forests, and shed light on the conditions under which they have become established in the forestry regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the social economy can achieve many positive outcomes, one recent benefit is that it can be a route to Indigenous food sovereignty--a restorative framework for feeding communities and engaging in decolonization. This article examines how some Indigenous groups in Canada use the social economy to build food sovereignty, beginning with an overview of cultural relationships with food, its place in an Indigenous worldview, and the effect of colonization on Indigenous foodways. After introducing food sovereignty, and in particular Indigenous food sovereignty, it focuses on how some Indigenous communities are using the social economy to build food sovereignty, using the example of the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Collaborative. The article concludes with a discussion of the importance of community and food sovereignty, not only for Indigenous Peoples but also for the social economy itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Recherches Sociographiques is the property of Recherches Sociographiques and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Recherches Sociographiques is the property of Recherches Sociographiques and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Social impact accounting is a significant issue for social economy organizations (SEOs), such as associations, foundations, social enterprises, social cooperatives, and other nonprofit organizations that aim to be transparent and accountable. The academic accounting literature addresses theoretical and empirical contributions on the methods and tools of measurement, assessment, and reporting of social impact. However, there are few contributions on the emerging topic of the digitalization of the social impact accounting process. Preliminary research analyses consider digital tools such as distributed ledgers including blockchain, big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things as innovations that allow SEOs to be more accountable and transparent with their social impacts and value created. The increased attention to these technologies opens the way for new and multidisciplinary research questions on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explains the process of theoretical, methodological, and empirical construction of the concept of 'solidarity territories' as a kind of brand that identifies a series of experiences that promote local development where actors of diverse origin have been participating, in parallel, from the university, from the territories, and from the national government in Colombia. We identify the contexts, developments, and prospects that will eventually converge to the extent that they share a common purpose: contributing to sustainable development based on integrating solidarity in the territories. Our study adopts a qualitative approach and uses the multi-case study method. The method facilitated the development of concepts based on the description, analysis, and establishment of relations between the experiences considered to enable knowledge-building regarding a topic that is still in the process of development. Solidarity territories are an example of socio-territorial innovation that supports social and environmental justice, as long as they contribute to the development of capacities for collective action at the local level from the perspective of good living. Being able to compare the experiences based on a document review and the approaches of the three researchers who were participant observers of the different research phases, a task that characterizes the process, turns out to be novel. The study is expected to serve as a reference point to continue contributing to the promotion of the solidarity culture and solidarity entrepreneurship, strengthening of public institutions, and citizen participation required to develop an ecosystem that enhances the associative solidarity model and its contributions to innovation and social transformation in the territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite transformational aims, many social economy organizations (SEOs) adopt rather mainstream organizational structures. Typically, they are managed by a general manager, who is him/herself supervised by a board of directors. However, we observe an emerging, alternative organizing mode: that of co-leadership. In such cases, the general manager function and its associated responsibilities are shared between two (or more) people in various configurations. How do such models emerge? How do co-leaders organize themselves concretely? What are the pros and cons of co-leading? Through a qualitative exploratory study of eight SEOs in which co-leading was experimented, our research proposes answers to these questions, which were initially asked by practitioners. This approach then allows us to contribute to the literature on co-leading by presenting some particularities of SEOs, and further, to reflect on the potential for social transformation of an organizational social innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both social economy and circular economy have received much attention recently. Yet, the relationship between the two remains under explored. While social economy primarily refers to economic democratization, collective enterprise, and the quest for common good, circular economy tends to focus on environmental sustainability. This article examines the overlap between the two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Interventions Économiques is the property of Association d'Economie Politique and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Management international / International Management / Gestiòn Internacional is the property of Management International and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Management international / International Management / Gestiòn Internacional is the property of Management International and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Interventions Économiques is the property of Association d'Economie Politique and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article deals with the production and management of collective goods and services by social economy organizations in Mali. Specifically, the article analyzes how a village association--a cooperative community organization--becomes involved in local socioeconomic development by pooling means and resources to produce self-managed collective goods and services for the benefit of its members, but also of non-members who have to pay more. This mode of organization allows rice producers to secure their living conditions in one of the largest hydro-agricultural enterprises in West Africa, as well as to participate in the development of their community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Review of Social Policy / Revue Canadienne de Politique Sociale is the property of York University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article outlines six areas of research that would help Canada’s social purpose sector recover and move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic. First, the sector needs big picture thinking about its role in a post-pandemic world. Second, it needs research on the needs currently being met—or left unmet—by social purpose organizations. Third, it needs research that helps social purpose organizations measure and communicate their value and impact. Fourth, researchers could examine the sector’s advocacy efforts during the pandemic and the results of these efforts. Fifth, there is a need for research on the larger ecosystem in which social purpose organizations operate. Finally, the pandemic presents an opportunity to study how different organizations responded to a crisis and to learn from their experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Criterio Libre is the property of Revista Criterio Libre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This keynote address explores the interplay between three forces that will shape the next few years of social economy practice and research. The first is variety, both with respect to existing and emergent social need, and with respect to the multiplicity of organizational forms adopted by social economy actors. The second concerns the forms of knowledge, ranging from instrumental knowledge to reflection and critique, which inform practices in the sector. Knowledge production is itself both enabled and constrained by the third force, professionalism, or the ways we structure the socialization and employment of those working in the sector. With variation an inherent characteristic of the social economy and with the ongoing search for appropriate models of professionalism, our collective knowledge production tasks remain unfinished. Ce discours principal explore les interactions entre trois forces qui vont façonner la pratique et la recherche en économie sociale au cours des prochaines années. La première est la variété, tant par rapport aux besoins sociaux actuels et naissants qu’à la multiplicité de formes organisationnelles adoptées par les acteurs de l’économie sociale. La seconde concerne les types de savoir informant les pratiques dans le secteur, du savoir instrumental jusqu’à la réflexion et la critique. La troisième force, le professionnalisme ou la manière dont on organise le recrutement et la socialisation de ceux et celles qui oeuvrent dans le secteur, permet la production du savoir tout en y imposant certaines contraintes. La variation étant une caractéristique intrinsèque de l’économie sociale, et la quête de modèles de professionnalisme appropriés se perpétuant, il est clair que nos tâches collectives de production du savoir demeurent inachevées.

This keynote address explores the interplay between three forces that will shape the next few years of social economy practice and research. The first is variety, both with respect to existing and emergent social need, and with respect to the multiplicity of organizational forms adopted by social economy actors. The second concerns the forms of knowledge, ranging from instrumental knowledge to reflection and critique, which inform practices in the sector. Knowledge production is itself both enabled and constrained by the third force, professionalism, or the ways we structure the socialization and employment of those working in the sector. With variation an inherent characteristic of the social economy and with the ongoing search for appropriate models of professionalism, our collective knowledge production tasks remain unfinished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief article explores two key questions that have emerged for the social economy in the COVID-19 context: 1) the nature of the relationship between social economy actors and the State, and 2) the possibility for social transformation going forward. This article engages with a dialogue entitled "Autonomous Community Action and Its Transformational Potential at a Territorial Level: An Ongoing Dialogue Between Research and Practice.". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Histoire & Mesure is the property of Editions EHESS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Québec has been structuring and promoting a social economy sector since the mid-1990s. What explains this specificity of the Québec social model? Careful process tracing analysis reveals that the mobilization of Québec's left in the mid- 1990s, followed by coalition engineering during the 1996 economy and employment summit, account for Québec's distinct trajectory. Consistent with power resource theory (PRT), at the agenda-setting stage, protagonists of Québec's social economy policies were associated with the left. Contrary to what is assumed by PRT, however, at the decision stage, the right's consent to social economy policies was not conditioned by a weak bargaining position or by a fear of antagonizing voters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To enable mutual health funds to extend coverage to poor people, the Mutual Health Support Network (Réseau d’appui aux mutuelles de santé – RAMS) in 2012 launched an initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Action and Solidarity (ministère de l’Action sociale et de la Solidarité nationale – MASSN) in Burkina Faso. This article reveals difficulties in the initiative's implementation, which resulted in the continued exclusion of poor people from health services. Poor people were required not only to make co‐payments, but also to accept a limitation of coverage to three episodes of illness per year. Additional challenges to service takeup were the geographical distance of the homes of some beneficiaries covered by a mutual fund agreement from a health centre and the failure by some health workers and managers of pharmacies to recognize the mutual membership card. A formal framework was lacking that brought together all the actors involved in planning and implementing the initiative. Those involved did not all have the same information. Each structure performed the tasks within its scope, according to its own interests, but without consulting the other parties, and there was no platform for discussing implementation difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dados - Revista de Ciências Sociais is the property of DADOS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While many Black Canadian women are innovators in the third sector, the contributions of Black people to the social economy go largely unnoticed in the academic literature. The social economy is not only a place of refuge for African-Canadians; it also provides a way for racially marginalized communities to co-opt resources. In fact, racialized Canadians are driven to be active in the third sector by the systemic bias and racism in the Canadian economy and society. To understand the place of the social economy among racialized people, we must recognize that Black and racialized people are not merely on the receiving end of aid and support, but that they lead and work within the social services sector. This paper utilizes Black liberation theory—specifically the concepts of self-help and co-operation—to analyze the work of five Black women leaders in non-profit organizations that reach thousands of people in Toronto. This study confronts the erasure of Black women in the third sector, and argues for the need to link liberation theory with the field of social economics in order to fully understand the significance of the social economy for Black and racialized people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religions is the property of Editions EHESS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Interventions Économiques is the property of Association d'Economie Politique and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Entreprise & Société is the property of Classiques Garnier and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) are regarded as a time-honoured tradition practiced by many people around the world. African Canadians value ROSCAs because of how they have helped people adjust to Canadian life. This study examines ROSCAs and the role that African Canadians have played in Canada's social economy. It includes interviews with 77 people, 46 of whom are "Banker Ladies"--African Canadian women who create community-driven financial cooperatives in Canada's largest financial centre, Toronto. ROSCAs have been incubating within the Canadian diaspora for the past 70 years as a way to counteract the business exclusion. For the social economy in Canada to be reflective of society, the research and theories that drive the sector must reflect a cultural awareness of the various cooperative forms led by racialized Canadians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nouvelles Pratiques Sociales is the property of Revue Nouvelles Pratiques Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines three related questions about unincorporated social economy organizations (USEOs): What are the characteristics of these social economy organizations? What is the unique bundle of resources that gives rise to and sustains their operations? Is there evidence of bricolage in these organizations? The findings suggest that USEOs are driven foremost by a social mission. USEOs provide diverse services and products including economic and specialized social activities, which are integral to the social fabric of society. The results also show that they combine and leverage two core resources – social capital and human capital – to support the operations of their organizations. Moreover they appear to draw on whatever resources are at their disposal to support the activities of the organization. This suggests that USEOs are involved in bricolage activities, which could explain the longevity of many of the organizations.RÉSUMÉCet article répond à trois questions étroitement liées sur les organismes d’économie sociale non constitués en société : Quelles sont les caractéristiques de ces organismes? Quelles sont les ressources particulières qui leur permettent de fonctionner? Ces organismes ont-ils recours au bricolage (dans le sens que Claude Lévi-Strauss prête à ce mot)? Les résultats indiquent qu’une mission sociale est ce qui motive les organismes d’économie sociale non enregistrés. Ces derniers fournissent une diversité de produits et services, y compris des activités économiques et sociales spécialisées qui sont essentielles pour la solidarité sociale. Les résultats montrent aussi que ces organismes combinent deux ressources clés – le capital social et le capital humain – afin d’appuyer le bon fonctionnement de leurs organisations. En outre, pour ce faire, ils ont apparemment recours à toute ressource qui soit à leur portée. Cette dernière pratique indique que les organismes d’économie sociale non constitués en société mènent vraisemblablement des activités de bricolage, ce qui pourrait expliquer pourquoi bon nombre de leurs organisations ont si longue vie.

Within the Social Economy, universities are working with community representatives to undertake research projects, service learning opportunities, and increasingly, academic program development, all with the objective of addressing social challenges. As many are quick to caution, the community is actually a sum of its various actors, interests, accountabilities and needs, which university staff and faculty must work to understand. Like the community, the university is a complex organization with politics, conflicts, tensions, and competing goals and objectives. Within this larger context, these various components, focusing on government, academic and administrative stakeholders, will impact and may even limit aspects of a collaboration between the university and its community partners. Through examination of a case study related to a graduate program, which was collaboratively developed between the university and community representatives, this article will identify and explore those accountabilities and the resulting impact on the collaboration. It will conclude withrecommendations for similar partnerships. / Dans l’économie sociale, les universités travaillent de pair avec des représentants de la communauté pour lancer des projets de recherche, créer des occasions d’apprentissage par le service et, de plus en plus, développer des programmes d’études universitaires; tout cela dans le but de régler des défis sociaux. Beaucoup s’empressent de formuler une mise en garde : la communauté est en réalité la somme des divers acteurs, intérêts, responsabilités et besoins qui la composent, ce que les membres du personnel et les facultés des universités doivent tenter de comprendre par leur travail. Au même titre qu’une communauté, une université est une organisation complexe constituée de politiques, de conflits, de tensions ainsi que d’objectifs concurrents. Dans ce contexte large, ces diverses composantes, en particulier les intervenants gouvernementaux, universitaires et administratifs, auront des conséquences sur la collaboration entre l’université et ses partenaires communautaires, et peuvent même en limiter certains aspects. Cette étude définit et analyse ces responsabilités et leurs conséquences sur la collaboration par le moyen d’une étude de cas liée à un programme d’études supérieures développé grâce à la collaboration de l’université et des représentants de la communauté. L’étude se termine par des recommandations visant des partenariats similaires.

This article explores how the social enterprise concept is used in Québec. Focusing on the historical, institutional, and current conceptual understanding of the social economy in Québec, it explores the related definitions, terminology, and typologies currently in use. The term “social enterprise” is near absent in Québec, mainly due to the highly recognized notion of social economy. However, not all Québec enterprises that pursue social goals fit into the social economy institutional definition. This article proposes a conceptual framework for understanding the modalities of Québec’s field of social economy and other social purpose enterprises. It suggests that “social enterprises” in Québec are those that participate in the social purposes of the social economy without sharing the core and institutionalized characteristics of social economy enterprises. Cet article explore l’usage du terme « entreprise sociale » au Québec. Se basant sur des aspects historiques, institutionnels et conceptuels, l’article explore les définitions et les typologies qui ont cours aujourd’hui. L’expression « entreprise sociale » est rarement mentionnée, dû à la forte reconnaissance de l’économie sociale. Toutefois, il existe des entreprises au Québec qui, tout en poursuivant des objectifs sociaux, ne correspondent pas à la définition institutionnelle de l’économie sociale. La principale contribution de cet article est de proposer un cadre conceptuel pour comprendre le champ de l’économie sociale et des autres entreprises à finalité sociale. Il suggère que les « entreprises sociales » sont celles qui participent aux objectifs sociaux de l’économie sociale mais qui n’en ont pas les caractéristiques institutionnelles.

Simulation is one of the most deeply-rooted vices in Mexican political culture. It is a phenomenon reproduced even in situations that involve substantive reforms of the country's Constitution. One particularly dramatic case of political and legislative simulation occurred in 1983 in relation to the reform of Article 25 of the Political Constitution of the United States of Mexico, which granted legal recognition to the Social Economy. This study elucidates the details of that experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate whether integrated reporting can be considered the appropriate tool for disclosure of the socially responsible behaviour of social economy entities (SEEs), as they currently face an increased demand for transparency from a number of stakeholders. The initial analysis of the concept and principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR), through a triple bottom line concept, and of the social economy and the legal regime governing mutual associations is followed by an empirical study of Portuguese mutual associations in the health and welfare sector. A proposal is also made for an integrated reporting system which is suitable for showing the organization’s socially responsible behaviour and pursuit of the general interest and is concluded to have overcome the difficulties of disclosing their economic, social, and environmental aspects. Furthermore, it is proposed that SEEs should obligatorily adopt integrated reporting in order to transmit dynamic, up-to-date information of relevance to stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Briarpatch Magazine's four-decade history presents an enlightening case study of the value of government grants to the nonprofit and co-operative media sector, as well as the pressures these programs bring, from conflict over editorial content to unexpected funding cuts. The study reveals that a major challenge for journalism operating within the social economy is to maintain editorial independence while sustaining daily operations. Briarpatch has benefited from healthy reader support and organizational flexibility. However, this resiliency is now threatened as allied civil society networks dissipate under neoliberalism. The lessons gleaned from Briarpatch are broadly relevant to social-economy researchers and advocates, as they speak to wider questions of funder-nonprofit relationships and the role that social networks play in organizational sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social responsibility has become a key factor for organisations. In recent years the number of organisations that perform actions to improve the economic, social and environmental surroundings in which they conduct their activity has increased. It is no longer considered daring to accept that the commercial notion of business has to be replaced by a sustainable conception in which the economic aim of the business activity is completed by achieving diverse social and environmental goals. The current challenge of these organisations is to measure, control and communicate the results of their actions, so various tools have been created to manage this type of information. One outstanding tool of this type is the social balance. This paper analyses the results of the social balance in a group of organisations that operate in the social and solidarity economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Andalusia has shown rising export growth. At the same time, the weight of the social economy in the region's GDP has increased. This article verifies the increase in Andalusian exports and shows that internationalisation is a competitive necessity. It focuses on how social economy companies are a particularly revealing sector from this point of view, highlighting the province of Seville because it holds the greatest weight of Andalusian social economy enterprises and a considerable part of the Andalusian business network. Because of the lack of knowledge of this growing sector's influence and the absence of relational data bases that reveal how the social economy of Andalusia operates, the goal of this research was to discover more about the evolution of regional export activity, from a retrospective point of view, and, specifically, the export performance of Seville's social economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]