Testing the relevance of major social enterprise models in central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

This chapter discusses test statistically, at the enterprise level, the relevance of this typology of social enterprise (SE) models, on the basis of a dataset resulting from a field survey carried out on social enterprises. It focuses on Central and Eastern Europe and on the statistical exploitation of the data collected in this region. The emphasis was put on the embeddedness of the SE phenomenon in local contexts. The board holds, in most of the cases, the ultimate decision-making power; in one-third of the cases, a single person is the social enterprise’s initiator, and he/she often independently manages the organisation. In almost 40% of social enterprises in this cluster, in case the activity is terminated, net assets go to another organisation with a similar social mission. Social enterprises in this cluster receive substantial public subsidies, and they also rely partially on philanthropy, including volunteering.