SE Gurus. SE Forums. One Click Orgs » Get involved. Socialentrepreneurship. Community | Sponsume.com. Du - Durham Service Design and Animation. Social Economy - Small and medium sized enterprises (SME) - Ente. A significant proportion of Europe's economy is organised to make profits not only for investors. The so-called Social Economy, including cooperatives, mutual societies, non-profit associations, foundations and social enterprises, provides a wide range of products and services across Europe and generates millions of jobs. When policy-makers work to improve the business environment in Europe, they need to ensure that their efforts take account of the specific characteristics of enterprises, particularly SMEs, in the Social Economy. Introduction Companies set up to make a profit for their owners are not the only form of enterprise. In many areas of economic activity, groups of individuals have got together to set up their own structure to promote their own or general public interests.
The basis of such structures is membership and solidarity.Members vote on the direction the enterprise takes, and it then acts in their common interests. Common Characteristics of Social Economy Enterprises.