În perioada 22-24 octombrie, am participat la conferința internațională GEBA 2026, Iași.

Parte a procesului doctoral, am avut o prezentare privind economia socială: guvernanță, valoare publică și bune practici observate în cazul La Citadelle de Marseille și La Friche la Belle de Mai.

Mai jos, câteva extrase din articol.

The social economy has emerged as one of the most influential concepts in today’s discourse on development. It addresses an issue that conventional growth models consistently fail to address: how to generate economic value without widening exclusion, weakening democratic control, or degrading the environment.

The social economy is not treated as a marginal sector or as a benevolent addition to the market economy. It is described as a field of organizations and institutional forms with a core social mission.

The social economy, in its broadest sense, is a sector composed of entities that prioritize social objectives over profit maximization, reinvesting profits for the benefit of communities and vulnerable groups.

From a European perspective, according to the Social Economy Action Plan, the social economy addresses social issues while promoting community welfare, sustainability, and social justice, prioritizing social objectives over profit maximization, and it encompasses a diverse range of organizations  and activities that aim to achieve those goals.

According to Romanian Law no. 219/2015 on the social economy, the social economy refers to the totality of private activities of an economic and social nature that serve the general interest, the interests of a community, and/or non-pecuniary personal interests, by increasing social inclusion and/or the provision of goods, the rendering of services, and/or the performance of works.

One of the clearest contributions of the social economy is its capacity to promote inclusive growth, meaning an economy that expands opportunity, creates decent work, and distributes the gains of development more broadly across communities and regions.

The academic literature in Romania emphasizes a rapidly evolving sector that is still bound by institutional, financial, and cultural barriers.  The social economy is emerging not only as a mechanism for social inclusion but also as a complementary pillar of sustainable development, capable of supporting circular economy initiatives, local resilience, and community-driven innovation.

The local dimension is especially important as social economy organizations tend to be strongest where development is uneven, where public services are distant or overstretched, and where market provision is either too costly or too indifferent to local needs.

This local approach also provides insight into why the social economy is a recurring theme in discussions about territorial inequality and disadvantaged rural areas. Conventional firms often cluster in places that already have infrastructure, capital, and market density. Public interest programs can be helpful, but they may be too broad, too bureaucratic, or too abstract to be relevant to local conditions. Social economy organizations can fill part of that gap because they are often closer to the communities they serve and more able to tailor provision to the local context. If a cooperative, mutual society, or social enterprise is structured around members, users, or communities rather than external shareholders, it is easier to justify long-term investments in resource efficiency, circular economy practices, or socially necessary but less profitable services.

Goals of social economy actors are opposite to those of sustainable economy actors; conversely, they sometimes lead to the same conclusions and policies. An organization focused on social objectives may, however, face certain challenges. A social enterprise must strike a balance between service quality and financial viability, may pursue community goals that are difficult to scale up, and may rely on volunteer labour or uncertain public subsidies. In some cases, the emphasis on social inclusion can slow the transition to a more sustainable environment; in others, green technologies can generate costs that limit access or financing capacity.

How can organizations be structured not only to ensure efficiency, but also to generate sustainable public value?

This outcome should be achieved through concrete actions to support local activities of economic and social nature that serve the general interest:

• Encouraging responsible management practices that incorporate environmental sustainability, ethical procurement, and long-term accountability into their business models.
• Integrative participation mechanisms – establishing residents’ councils, participatory budgeting, and co-design processes to strengthen inclusion, democratic engagement, and collective decision-making.
• Capacity building for social entrepreneurs on governance, financial management, digital tools, and cooperative entrepreneurship, to strengthen organizational resilience.
• Cross-sector partnerships between public institutions, social economy organizations, universities, and private sector actors to mobilize resources and jointly develop solutions in the public interest.