<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland (2019 – 2022) was a watershed moment for social enterprise in Ireland. Ireland has a rich, proud and diverse experience of social economy and social enterprise, yet the policy framework developed comparatively later than in some other EU member states. Since its launch in 2019, the Policy has helped to significantly shape the social enterprise sector in Ireland including through targeted measures and improved coherence across government policy. At the same time, the sector is still in a nascent phase and faces dramatic new challenges associated with the realities of focussing on social impact whilst trading in a competitive market economy traditionally focussed on export-potential, which have been exacerbated by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As this foundational Policy comes to the end of its term, the Government, in partnership with the sector, now faces another significant juncture which will determine how successful social enterprise can be in moving from the margins to the mainstream and contributing to Ireland’s economic, social and environmental progress. The current article seeks to clarify the features of Ireland’s indigenous social enterprise sector, and offers perspectives on some of the prerequisites for an ambitious and impactful successor policy in 2023 to unlock the potential of the sector to grow in scale and impact.</p>
</abstract>

The National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland (2019 – 2022) was a watershed moment for social enterprise in Ireland. Ireland has a rich, proud and diverse experience of social economy and social enterprise, yet the policy framework developed comparatively later than in some other EU member states. Since its launch in 2019, the Policy has helped to significantly shape the social enterprise sector in Ireland including through targeted measures and improved coherence across government policy. At the same time, the sector is still in a nascent phase and faces dramatic new challenges associated with the realities of focussing on social impact whilst trading in a competitive market economy traditionally focussed on export-potential, which have been exacerbated by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As this foundational Policy comes to the end of its term, the Government, in partnership with the sector, now faces another significant juncture which will determine how successful social enterprise can be in moving from the margins to the mainstream and contributing to Ireland’s economic, social and environmental progress. The current article seeks to clarify the features of Ireland’s indigenous social enterprise sector, and offers perspectives on some of the prerequisites for an ambitious and impactful successor policy in 2023 to unlock the potential of the sector to grow in scale and impact.

Consolidating Ireland’s Indigenous Social Enterprise Sector – A Policy Perspective

The Irish Journal of Management

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland (2019 – 2022) was a watershed moment for social enterprise in Ireland. Ireland has a rich, proud and diverse...

Consolidating Ireland’s Indigenous Social Enterprise Sector – A Policy Perspective

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Apr 04, 2023

Page range: 93 - 102

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijm-2023-0003

Keywords
Social enterprise, Social Economy, Social Enterprise Policy, Public Policy, Ireland, Enterprise, Entrepreneurship

© 2023 Andrew Forde, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Consolidating Ireland’s Indigenous Social Enterprise Sector – A Policy Perspective

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Apr 04, 2023

Page range: 93 - 102

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijm-2023-0003

KeywordsSocial enterprise, Social Economy, Social Enterprise Policy, Public Policy, Ireland, Enterprise, Entrepreneurship

© 2023 Andrew Forde, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Social enterprise, Social Economy, Social Enterprise Policy, Public Policy, Ireland, Enterprise, Entrepreneurship