Article

 

SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN BULGARIA: POST-SOCIALIST LEGACY AND STRATEGIC CHANGES OF NPOs AND WORKERS’ COOPERATIVES (p.39-56)

by

Mariyana AMOVA, University of Paris

Keywords : Social Enterprise, Social and Solidarity Economy, Non-profit Organizations, Workers Cooperatives

JEL classification : L31, L26, J54

Abstract

This article presents the main factors, features and challenges of the development of social enterprises by worker’s cooperatives and non-profit organizations (NPOs) since the 1990s post-socialist transition until the adoption of the Law on the enterprises of the Social and solidarity economy in 2018. These factors and features have been identified through an extensive case study on the emergence of the Social and solidarity economy (SSE) in Bulgaria conducted between 2015 and 2019. The study shows that social enterprises in Bulgaria are not a new organizational model, but are rather strongly dependent on the heritage of the NPOs and cooperative sectors since the transition. The social enterprise appears as either funding or legitimation strategy implemented by umbrella organizations. We examine several challenges of the development of social enterprises by NPOs and cooperatives related to their specific features and to the required support from the public actor.