Advisory opinion on the definition of social economy enterprises (Sökon)

In Berlin and throughout Germany, a growing number of enterprises associate themselves with the “social economy”. What they have in common is that they aim to use their economic activities to help solve social and/or ecological challenges facing society. However, there are different streams in the social economy that work with diverse definitions and criteria. To advance public support for social economy enterprises, a set of practically applicable definitions and criteria is needed.

Actors such as municipalities, banks and the European Commission have developed approaches to defining and supporting the social economy, however, a comprehensive perspective on these definitions is lacking. The project Sökon will provide such comparative knowledge, as well as an assessment of which definitions and sets of criteria are suitable for operational use in the allocation of resources toward enterprises of the social economy.

The results of the study will be presented in a workshop and put up for discussion.

The Sökon project cooperates with the Ecornet Berlin project Alternative Economies in and for Berlin, which will investigate the institutional landscape for alternative economic structures in Berlin.