Favorable framework conditions are paramount for the social economy to gain recognition, visibility, and measurable impact. Legal frameworks and supportive policies can create important opportunities for the development and expansion of social economy entities. They can also encourage cross-border collaboration and trade enhance opportunities for scaling up and international expansion. Easy-to-use approaches and guidance for measuring social impact can ensure transparency, which in turn can attract investors and stakeholders.
At the OECD, we provide step-by-step guidance on legal frameworks. We also conduct national and regional reviews to provide insights into strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating targeted interventions and resource allocation.
Overall, an enabling environment that includes legal clarity, opportunities for scalability, impact measurement mechanisms, thorough reviews, and reliable data is crucial for the sustained growth and global reach of the social economy.
20 March 2023 | HYBRID SESSION
Session 5: Laying down the law: Legal frameworks for the social economy
This session and report launch were organised as part of the OECD Social Economy Summit: Inspiration, innovation and inclusion: Shaping our future with the social and solidarity economy
Countries may use different terms to refer to the social economy, building on context and history. Putting in place legal frameworks can support the visibility, recognition, and development of the social economy. There is significant diversity in how countries have developed legal frameworks, and it may not always be clear to policy makers when and how to best regulate. This session highlighted how legal frameworks can be drivers for the development of the social economy and discussed success factors and pitfalls to avoid when designing them. The discussion was supported by findings from the OECD international guide on legal frameworks for the social economy, which was launched during the session.
