Social Enterprises in Serbia: concept and research results Marija Kolin Institute of Social Sciences, Belgrade Sarajevo, th May 2011

The content of presentation Definition of social enterprise (SE) Mapping Assessment of specific types Main activities, numbers… Legal framework Driving forces Obstacles Recent evolution Prospect for the future

Definition of SE The model of SE consists of the wide spectrum of organizations that have developed between the market and the state to pursue social and economic goals (http :// The spectrum of the third sector organizations – non-profit organizations, self-help groups, new and traditional cooperatives if they are providing employment or services with an explicit aim to benefit specific groups or community

Main Types Non-governmental organizations Self-help groups Refugees Religious Disabled Women groups Ethnic minorities Cooperatives Old and new Agricultural Ecological Women Ethnic minorities

Assessment of specific types I Traditional cooperatives – farmers credit, consumer, youth and trade New cooperatives: Agricultural Women's Ecological Social cooperatives

Assessment of specific types II Citizen associations: NGOs of refugees, women, disabilities… Enterprises for vocational training and the employment of persons with disabilities Agencies for the development of small and medium sized enterprises Business incubators Religious groups

Main activities Social protection of vulnerable (shelters, home care, day care) Health services at home Business activities Agriculture production Environmentally safe production Tourism, handcraft products

Numbers? from NGOs 600 old cooperatives new emerging cooperatives

Legal framework Cooperative Law 1989, 2011 The Law on Associations of Citizens, 2009 The Law on Enterprises for Vocational Training and Employment of Persons with Disabilities, 1996 The Company Law, 2004 The Law on Churches and Religious Communities, 2006

Driving forces High unemployment – 21% Structure of unemployment – long term (80%) women (25,5%), layoffs of surplus employees Care deficit and welfare gap – high needs for social services for the older-old Process of alignment with EU standards INGO support for pilot programs

Obstacles Slow process of economic restructuring and overall transitional achievement Lack of supporting environments and infrastructures Restricted access to resources Inconsistent legal environment Poor understanding of social enterprise Lack of knowledge Absence of reliable statistics

Recent evolution Social cooperatives in Cooperative Law 2011 Research and recommendations to promote social entrepreneurships (EMINS, UNDP) Coalition to support social economy development – mentoring system Education, training programs, national conference

Prospect for the future Creation of more favorable legal framework Policy promotion Active engagement of local authorities Institutional support - umbrella organization Good practices and information exchange Education, training, counseling Research and monitoring

More information Kolin, M.,N.,Petrušić: 2008 Socijalna preduzeća i uloga alternativne ekonomije u procesima evropskih integracija jige.epus.html. jige.epus.html Contact: