EXAMPLE | The Better Entrepreneurship Policy Tool

This is to illustrate that you can make results of a group assessment visible here. You can also provide some background information and share contact details, if you want that interested stakeholders from other territories could contact you. risto.raivio@ec.europa.eu guy.lejeune@ec.europa.eu

Group type:

Social entrepreneurship

Country:

Belgium

Region/City:

this is just a example

Social Entrepreneurship Culture

Social entrepreneurship culture refers to local traditions and activities, including those by existing civil society and social economy organisations. You will explore whether efforts are made to raise awareness about social entrepreneurship and whether support is provided to citizen-led initiatives and social economy organisations. You will also be asked to what extent education providers promote social entrepreneurship through formal and non-formal learning, and whether universities conduct research in the area. Finally, you will be asked to assess to what extent statistical data on social enterprises is collected and analysed on a regular basis.

Institutional Framework

This module looks at institutional support to social enterprise development, including whether there is any statutory body set up for this purpose. You will also be asked to assess the extent to which there is adequate coordination between government agencies and levels of government and if there is a well-planned strategy to support social entrepreneurship in place, developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

Legal & Regulatory Framework

Without formal recognition, it can be difficult to distinguish social enterprises from other businesses. You will be asked to consider whether the existing legal framework defines social enterprises and whether administrative procedures to start a social enterprise are easy to access and understand. You will also explore to what extent investment on social enterprises is stimulated for example through fiscal incentives.

Access to Finance

Access to finance is central for social enterprise development. You will be asked to assess whether the finance market has been mapped, which financing instruments are available for social enterprises and whether there are specialised providers supporting their access to finance. You will also consider awareness-raising among mainstream finance providers and if public funds are leveraged to facilitate social enterprises’ access to finance.

Access to Markets

Social enterprises need to have proper access to both public and private markets. You will look at the extent to which public procurement is used to support access to public markets by social enterprises, and whether social enterprises make use of new technologies to expand their own commercial opportunities and market access. You will also be asked to assess the extent to which social enterprises partner with other firms.

Skills & Business Development Support

Social entrepreneurs whose main motivation is social impact do not always have the skills to develop strong business models. You will consider whether affordable training, coaching and/or mentoring initiatives are available for the different stages of development of social enterprises. You will also be asked whether network activities help social enterprises connect with peers to learn from others’ experiences.

Managing, Measuring & Reporting Impact

While managing and reporting impact is crucial for social enterprises, this can be both costly and time-consuming. You will assess whether social enterprises and their umbrella organisations engage in co-constructing measurement and reporting frameworks, and if support like training and/or access to existing methodologies is provided. It also asks you to look at whether research in this area is promoted and if evidence generated is used in public debates.