This document discusses social enterprises around the world and provides examples from different countries. Some key points: 1) Social enterprises harness the power of markets to create social value and bring social missions into economic transactions. They have clearly defined social purposes while generating profits. 2) Examples of social enterprises addressing challenges like employment, education, and basic services are provided from countries like Italy, Spain, Korea, Canada, and developing nations. 3) The UK has over 62,000 social enterprises generating £24 billion annually and employing 800,000 people. They contribute entrepreneurial approaches to public service reform. 4) Support for social enterprises varies globally and can include specialized legal forms, tax breaks, investment funds,

1. Social Enterprises in a world
perspective
Jonathan Bland
Social Business International
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2. Many manifestations
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3. Using market power
• An evil monster enslaving the ordinary
people?
• The lion of freedom, liberating creating
wealth and opportunity bringing progress?
• A special kind of creature?
• A VERY POWERFUL TRANSACTIONAL
MECHANISM
• It all depends: Who can access it? How? &
What terms?
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4. Social enterprise is a tool, used by
people across the world
• It is a business – there are many
models
• SE can harness the power of the
market
• Bring social value into an economic
transaction
• Harness competition and dynamism a
driver for social innovation
• It can do great things – it can be
transformative
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5. What is social enterprise?
Business
driven by a social mission
with passion
making profits
creating value
for community benefit.
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6. Global characteristics
• Clearly defined social purpose
• Trading in the market
• Limited profit distribution
• Ownership structures
• Transparency
• Triple bottom line
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7. Responding to challenges
• Economic prosperity
• Access to quality services,
especially welfare
• The environment
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8. Examples from around the globe
•Social care and integration of
disadvantaged people in Italy
• Schools in Spain
• Jobs in Korea, Thailand and Australia
• Urban and rural community economic
development in Canada
• Basic services and income in many
developing countries
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9. Routes to social enterprise:
• NGO’s doing
business
• New start value
driven businesses
• Public sector
externalisations
• Private business
conversions and
support
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10. Wide approach, different forms
• Broad definition
• Legal forms:
– Companies
– Co-operatives
– Trading associations,
charities, “not for
profits”
– Specialist legal forms
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11. UK experience and
the context of welfare reform
62,000 businesses - £24b - 800,000 employees
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12. What does social enterprise
contribute to public service reform?
• Entrepreneurial leadership
• Focus on the user
• Engage and empower staff in different ways
• Knowledge of needs, what works and what
doesn’t
• Capacity to build trust
• Creativity
• Flexibility, ability to be quick
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13. An entrepreneurial journey
for the voluntary sector
• Since 2001: 128% increase in voluntary sector
income from the state (£9.1B public services)
• 75% of government funding to voluntary sector
as contracts
• In housing, social services, employment,
training, law and advocacy services voluntary
organisations get 50% of their income from
government
• In social care, 88% of income from local
government as contracts or fees
• 1 in 10 CIC’s are social care providers
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14. An entrepreneurial journey
for pubic sector employees
• Social care, Leisure Trusts from the late 90s
• Right to Request programme 2008- 2011
Primary Health Care
About over 60 new enterprises being established,
£900m combined turnover, 25,000 staff
Financial support, contracts - stepping stone to
market
• Expansion of policy to other areas – Pathfinders
– part of Big Society agenda
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15. Over a decade of Government
policy in the UK
• UK Government/England: SE
Strategy 2002, Action Plan 2006,
range of initiatives up to May
2010
• Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland developed their own plans
and strategies
• Now “Big Society”- agenda:
public services, communities,
localism --> “To create the
biggest SE sector in the world”
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16. What are the dilemmas for
SE & welfare reform
• How are markers made and managed?
• Awareness and understanding of the model?
• Access to capital?
• Business and experience of new social
entrepreneurs?
• Capacity – to work at scale but maintain
values and local connections
• How does it fit with wider system reform –
e.g. who pays and how does it work?
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17. What kind of support is
found in different countries?
• Specialist legal forms ( they don’t always work!)
• Tax breaks
• Investment funds
• Business support programmes
• Pro-active public sector – procurement, asset
transfer
• Awareness and promotional programmes
• Research
• Private business engagement
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18. So what for Denmark?
• A positive government framework:
recognition, access to markets, investment
• From strategies to action!
• Know-how: technical issues, leadership
• Build from the base. People need to connect,
share, learn from each other - networks
• Its business, It’s a social movement
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19. Thank You!
• 0203 372 2878
• 358 2 – 5239015
• 358 400 - 430730
• Jonathan.bland@socialbusinessint.com
• www.socialbusinessint.com
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