The Social Economy: Approaches, Practices and a Proposal for a New Community-University Alliance (CURA)

This document provides an overview of selected theoretical and empirical approaches to define a research proposal for a new CURA (Community- University Research Alliance) on the social economy to be launched in 2005. The authors’ goal is also to spark the interest of researchers in the social economy. With this in mind, the first section represents an attempt to provide a theoretical and empirical framework for the social economy, drawing on complementary concepts such as the third sector, where appropriate. In the second section, we emphasize the need for an inventory of innovative practices in the field and for statistics to quantify the activities of the social economy and the resources involved. In the third section, we identify the main research directions and questions based not only on our own knowledge but also on a review of the literature. In the final section, we make some suggestions as to how the specific nature of this new program will relate to the existing CURA program.Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

The Social Economy in Quebec

The paper, delivered at a public event in Sidney, BC, Canada, on October 19, 2006, presents an overview of the social economy in Quebec and suggests some lessons that might be relevant to other contexts.BC-Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance (BALTA

QUELQUES INITIATIVES AYANT PERMIS L’INSTITUTIONNALISATION DE L’ÉCONOMIE SOCIALE AU QUÉBEC : RÔLE CENTRAL DE LA SOCIÉTÉ CIVILE ET RÔLE ESSENTIEL DE L’ÉTAT - Première partie

This report, prepared in late 2006, provided an updated summary of earlier research regarding Quebec government policies in support of the social economy sector.BC-Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance (BALTA) ; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) ; Concordia Universit

QUELQUES INITIATIVES AYANT PERMIS L’INSTITUTIONNALISATION DE L’ÉCONOMIE SOCIALE AU QUÉBEC : RÔLE CENTRAL DE LA SOCIÉTÉ CIVILE ET RÔLE ESSENTIEL DE L’ÉTAT - Deuxième partie

This report, prepared in late 2006, provided an updated summary, in French, of earlier research regarding Quebec government policies in support of the social economy sector. This is the second section of the report.BC-Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance (BALTA) ; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) ; Concordia Universit

Social enterprises in OECD Member Countries: What are the financial streams?

This chapter focuses on the emergence of financial instruments and enabling environments for social enterprises (SEs) in selected OECD countries, with particular attention on Western European countries, Canada and the United States, and possible strategies for supporting their development in Eastern European Countries. As social enterprises continue to draw the attention of national governments and local authorities alike in the fight against unemployment and social exclusion, they are also being embraced by civil society as a way of addressing unmet needs in a sustainable manner. Social enterprises are emerging in numerous sectors producing goods and services, increasingly demonstrating their capacity as economic actors. They are similarly considered as key to socio- economic transformation in transitional economies. As the chapter suggests, the incompatibility of an existing investment framework tied to outmoded and fixed categories that do not correspond to the new reality of social enterprises and their investment needs, requires cultural adaptation of the financial, legal, accounting and policy communities internationally to this new reality before the appropriate and enabling tools can be designed. For social finance to become sustainable finance, an integrated approach has to be adopted that is distinct from traditional capital markets. In conclusion, and regardless of the breadth of instruments available, the real potential of social enterprises will only be realized if they are integrated into a systemic approach to social exclusion, labor market transformation, and territorial (place-based) socio-economic development strategies that requires innovative public policy

Some Initiatives that Enabled the Institutionalization of Quebec’s Social Economy: Civil Society’s Crucial Role and the State’s Essential Role

This report, prepared in late 2006, provided an updated summary, in French, of earlier research regarding Quebec government policies in support of the social economy sector. The first part of the report was translated into English.BC-Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance (BALTA) ; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) ; Concordia Universit

Karl Polanyi et la pédagogie de l'incohérence

Cet article vise à examiner de manière critique et constructive l'actualité de la pensée de Karl Polanyi pour comprendre le développement de l'économie plurielle au XXIe siècle et pour agir sur celui-ci. Il montre la très grande actualité de cette pensée, ainsi que la nécessité de s'intéresser à l'oeuvre entière de Karl Polanyi, et pas seulement à la "Grande transformation". Partant des usages multiples du concept d'encastrement et de désencastrement, il relie les propositions inspirées par KP sur le "processus de démocratisation économique" à des développements récents tant pratiques que théoriques : les "marchés transitionnels du travail" et la "nouvelle finance publique".

Le renouveau de la pensée polanyienne. Préface

C’est avec grand plaisir que je contribue la préface de ce numéro d’Interventions économiques dédié à la pertinence de la pensée de Karl Polanyi au début du 21ème siècle. Je suis très reconnaissante aux éditeurs, Diane Gabrielle Tremblay, Jean-Marc Fontan et Jean Louis Laville d’avoir pris l’initiative de préparer ce numéro pour le 11ème colloque international de l’Institut Karl Polanyi, qui correspond aussi au 20ème anniversaire de l’Institut, établi à l’Université Concordia en 1988. Interve..

Le nouveau rôle des organisations de l’économie sociale: perspectives économique et sociale

This presentation to a 2007 seminar in Vancouver, Canada, of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was based on research compiled for the BC-Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance (BALTA) in a 2006 report. The research report provided an updated summary of earlier research regarding Quebec government policies in support of the social economy sector.BC-Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance (BALTA) ; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) ; Concordia Universit