The weight of the social economy: an international perspective - no. 6

Throughout the world, cooperatives, non-profit and mutual benefit organisations, foundations and other social enterprises play an important role in job creation, social cohesion, social innovation, regional development and environmental protection.

Observations tend to confirm the ability of the social economy to contribute to balancing economies, mainly by serving as an anti-cyclical force in the face of economic crises.

However, many countries and regions lack statistical information about its weight, size and scope on their territory.

This book explains why it is important to have statistics, to understand how they are produced, and to project how the social economy might be better understood in the future.