Modernising the European Social Paradigm: Social Investments and Social Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Policy perspectives of the European Union as well as those of member states currently link the concepts of social investment and social entrepreneurship in order to advocate both where and how to intervene. The argument of this article is that the explicit linking of these two notions, by policy-makers at several different levels and scales of authority, constitutes an emerging policy paradigm. The article identifies three characteristics of any paradigm, including that a policy paradigm must provide a perspective on the maintenance of the well-being of both society and individuals. Despite variation across countries and levels of authority (a characteristic of any paradigm) policy communities proffer the quasi-concepts of social investment and social entrepreneurship in combination as the appropriate ways to govern financing and the delivery of social investments. Therefore, social enterprises are targeted to receive public financing in order to deliver social investments in activation (training, employability, job support and wage supplements) as well as childcare. Reliance on this assemblage is documented across scales from the local through the national, transnational and international.

Which Roads (if any) to Social Investment? The Recalibration of EU Welfare States at the Crisis Crossroads (2000–2014)

“…The distinction between ‘social investment’ and ‘social protection’ spending items is often blurred; many policies in fact serve both aims (De Deken, 2014; Nolan, 2013). 4 The uncertain categorisation of social programmes largely derives from the same conceptual ambiguity of social investment: a strong point for policy-makers who use it as a political platform (Jenson, 2017: 4), but a hurdle for researchers interested in using it as analytical framework (Nolan, 2013). Given this (intentional) ambiguity, any agreement on a fixed operationalisation will hardly ever be reached.…”

How and Why Do Social and Sustainable Initiatives Scale? A Systematic Review of the Literature on Social Entrepreneurship and Grassroots Innovation

“…Space for experimentation, flexible rules, a favourable business environment and political will are crucial for scaling local initiatives (f.i. Vergragt and Brown 2012;Radywyl and Biggs 2013;Biggs et al 2010;Jenson 2017;Bailey et al 2010;Awoonor-Williams et al 2013;Biehl 2007). Even a lack of rules can be favourable to social entrepreneurs (Gutberlet et al 2016;Gluckler and Lenz 2016).…”

Private Social Investments as a Solution for Rural Development

“…Social investments are considered as investments in human development, including investments in education, healthcare, culture development, training and jobsearch assistance. Social investments strengthen human skills and capacities, increasing employment and social life participation (Jenson, 2017;Social investment…, 2018;Vasilyeva, 2018).…”