For some, the concept of social economies is not a familiar one.
Let's just say that one way of understanding the social economy is to remember that social economies set people before profits, prioritize social objectives and social values and rely on paid employees as well as on volunteer labor.
A non profit organization may intend to make a profit or may succeed in making a profit. It must, however do it in a context that sees profit as a way to meet its social goals and not as a way to create wealth.
Most if not all social market economies including our own rely on unresolved problems that range from short, to medium to long-term unemployment, to increasing demands on our welfare systems and to the dangers of a renewed inflation. It also relies on unanswered questions related to our political economy and social policy and to various global challenges such as global economies, environmental problems and immigration.
According to Matthias Schäfer of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), the social market economy characteristics that link economic growth to social stability are economic competition and freedom, monetary and fiscal stability, functional price system, and self responsibility and solidarity.
Social market economy enables individuals to participate and to compete by means of education and employability. It also enables consumers to decide according to their needs.
Social market economy forces companies to act according to the needs of the consumers and to strive for excellence. It also strengthens individual and local responsibility, protects the weak and guarantees a social minimum existence.
Economy and social life is about basic socio-economic human rights such as the right to an adequate standard of living, the right to education, the right to health, the right to housing and the right to science and to culture.
Economy and social issues refer to issues such as poverty, inequalities and exclusion that affect those unable to sell their labor. Social issues that are often related to work integration for vulnerable groups such as long term unemployed groups or groups with physical or mental health issues.
Children who grew up in poverty tend to become impoverished adults. They may loose their job, get evicted from their apartment and face the difficult challenges of feeding their family, finding an alternative housing and seeking a job or support.
Economy and social issues is also about people with physical dysfunctions or social issues such as depression, anxiety or mental illness. Young people, elderly, women, aboriginals, recent immigrants and ethnic groups are more likely to experience poverty.
Finally, social responsibility is about helping those less fortunate and economy and social security is about government programs that help people who lost their income because of an accident or a death, because of a disability, an illness or a pregnancy or because of old age, retirement or unemployment.
In the province of Quebec our economy and social security, covers various issues such as economic revitalization where three types of initiatives are worth mentioning.
The first initiative refers to social housing with both not for profit organizations and housing cooperatives where interaction between tenants is encouraged.
The second initiative refers to the Centres de la petite enfance (CPE) that have been created to consolidate childcare networks and to offer good and proper quality services.
The third initiative refers to social and health care services to respond to home care services such as house cleaning, clothing care, food shopping and meal preparation.
Social Economies by Rachel Louise Barry - April 2016
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