Collecting Data on Social Enterprises 2025

actors, including associations, co-operatives, foundations, not-for-profit organizations, voluntary groups and social enterprises”.44 Social and solidarity economy The term “social and solidarity economy” has developed to include organizations with an economic vision based on solidarity and social inclusion, and often encompasses informal, locally rooted initiatives. The OECD states that: “While the social economy is understood to be composed of established entities, the solidarity economy can also include more spontaneous community-based initiatives that take place at the grassroots level”.45 The 2023 United Nations resolution on promoting the social and solidarity economy (SSE) for sustainable development adopted the following definition: “The social and solidarity economy encompasses enterprises, organizations and other entities that are engaged in economic, social and environmental activities to serve the collective and/or general interest, which are based on the principles of voluntary cooperation and mutual aid, democratic and/or participatory governance, autonomy and independence and the primacy of people and social purpose over capital in the distribution and use of surpluses and/or profits, as well as assets, that social and solidarity economy entities aspire to long-term viability and sustainability and to the transition from the informal to the formal economy and operate in all sectors of the economy, that they put into practice a set of values which are intrinsic to their functioning and consistent with care for people and planet, equality and fairness, interdependence, self-governance, transparency and accountability and the attainment of decent work and livelihoods and that, according to national circumstances, the social and solidarity economy includes cooperatives, associations, mutual societies, foundations, social enterprises, self-help groups and other entities operating in accordance with the values and principles of the social and solidarity economy”.46 Other terms Other relevant and related terms include “inclusive business”, “impact enterprise”, “mission- led business”, “purpose-led business”, “the collaborative economy”, “the new economy”, “the popular economy” and “the economy for the common good”. There are also links here to the emergent field of social investment/impact investment, but these are focused on the supply side of investment flows rather than the demand side of the recipient enterprises. Collecting Data on Social Enterprises: A Playbook for Practitioners 24