Abstract**: The development of social enterprise is a rapidly emerging trend in Europe. And one sector where they have found a particularly important place is in work integration, addressing some of the more difficult problems of social exclusion in labour markets. The study on which this paper is based was a large scale comparative analysis of developments of these social enterprise in 12 European countries While there are clear differences in national contexts, there are also similarities in the forms and characteristics of these social enterprise across Europe. It is argued that this form of social enterprise has proved effective and is an important innovation to address problems of more marginalised groups and individuals, but there remain issues about how to sustain and promote the good models and good practices developed.
Purpose -This paper aims to deal with the history and main features of social enterprises in South Korea, where a specific legal framework was enacted in 2006. Design/methodology/approach -The analysis emphasises an economic sociological approach mixing economic considerations, political features and social aspects. The mobilised information comes from previous works realised by the authors on that topic as well as from updated statistics and data about policies, laws and regulations. Findings -The study underlines that the emergence of social enterprises in South Korea was rooted in civil society and citizens' movements before it became a priority on the government's agenda. The result is the co-existence of several forms of social enterprise with distinctive features: social enterprises certified by the official label, on the one hand, and de facto social enterprises, defined as such because of their practices, goals and values, on the other hand. Such a situation generates a growing tension between the priorities and values emphasised by the political sphere and by the civil society. Research limitations/implications -Social enterprise is an emerging field of interest and a recent phenomenon, constantly in progress; consequently, systematic data on the field are still lacking, and researchers do not have enough hindsight to learn definitive lessons and draw broad conclusions of statistical significance. Originality/value -The paper sheds light on a phenomenon that is multi-dimensional and is rapidly evolving. It provides a better comprehension of South Korean political choices and socio-economic changes and can help to anticipate future evolutions and to shape related policies to deal with work integration and the promotion of welfare-mix in the field of social services provision. It also brings information and learning for cross-country comparative studies.
The situation of the Korean labor market and welfare system evolved in the 2000s during a period that witnessed civil society playing a prominent role both as a provider of welfare and an inspirer for the implementation of welfare schemes (Labor Market and Welfare System in South Korea section). Emergence of a New Form of Collaboration Between Civil Society and Government section details the process that led to the installation of an ambitious minimum income scheme (the National Basic Livelihood System) and established the basis for a new form of collaboration and partnership between civil society and government in the fields of poverty alleviation and work integration. As a next step in this direction was enacted in 2006 the Law for the Promotion of Social Enterprises, which is presented and discussed in Social Enterprise Model As An Original Way of Addressing Different Social Issues section in reference to other experiences and social enterprise models. The conclusion insists however on the difficulties of preserving what was originally a balanced collaboration between government and civil society in a traditionally state-centered country.
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