The European Commission’s Social Business Initiative in Terms of Finland : Evaluating the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Social Business Initiative in Relation to Finland’s Environment for Social Entrepreneurship
Roland, India (2012)
Metropolia Ammattikorkeakoulu
2012
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2012100914297
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2012100914297
Tiivistelmä
The objective of this paper is to investigate the environment for Social Entrepreneurship in Finland in terms of the European Commission’s Social Business Initiative introduced in November 2011. The Social Business Initiative presents eleven key actions for creating a favourable environment for social enterprises. These key actions contain measures divided under funding, visibility and the legal environment for social enterprises. The intention of this thesis is to evaluate the Social Business Initiative and bring forth its biggest strengths and weaknesses within the context of the Finnish environment for social entrepreneurship.
Qualitative research was conducted for the thesis including a semi-structured interview with the Head of Development of the Association for Finnish Work. The interview enabled the thesis to examine the situation of social entrepreneurship in Finland with deeper insight. Investigating reports – this including especially reports by the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy on social entrepreneurship – was also an essential part of the implemented research. Since the topic holds a strong interconnection to the European Commission, the stands and work of the Commission were also investigated.
It was found that many of the measures introduced in the European Commission’s Social Business Initiative such as funding through structural funds, introducing societal criteria in public procurement and strengthening EU community programmes could be and are especially useful for promoting social entrepreneurship in Finland and have already been quite well established. In turn, the key actions also show weaknesses in the applicability of introducing new legislation and the capabilities for introducing social criteria in public procurement. This paper will first present the concept and definition of social entrepreneurship in relation to the EU and in Finland, then explain the key actions of the Social Business Initiative and lastly tie this in with the context of the Finnish environment.
Qualitative research was conducted for the thesis including a semi-structured interview with the Head of Development of the Association for Finnish Work. The interview enabled the thesis to examine the situation of social entrepreneurship in Finland with deeper insight. Investigating reports – this including especially reports by the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy on social entrepreneurship – was also an essential part of the implemented research. Since the topic holds a strong interconnection to the European Commission, the stands and work of the Commission were also investigated.
It was found that many of the measures introduced in the European Commission’s Social Business Initiative such as funding through structural funds, introducing societal criteria in public procurement and strengthening EU community programmes could be and are especially useful for promoting social entrepreneurship in Finland and have already been quite well established. In turn, the key actions also show weaknesses in the applicability of introducing new legislation and the capabilities for introducing social criteria in public procurement. This paper will first present the concept and definition of social entrepreneurship in relation to the EU and in Finland, then explain the key actions of the Social Business Initiative and lastly tie this in with the context of the Finnish environment.