This article is written by Eleonora Lamio, Project Manager at Diesis Network.
Social Economy and Social Entrepreneurship: the role of social economy enterprises in supporting migrant entrepreneurs
Diesis Network has been working on the topic of migration for several years now, as social economy and migrants’ integration share tight links. One of Diesis’ main projects in this field was EMEN. The objective of the project, which finished at the end of September 2020, was to share knowledge and experiences on how to better support migrant entrepreneurs, a group that brings a major economical and cultural contribution to the European societies. The project’s final publication “Inclusive Ecosystems: towards a comprehensive support scheme for migrant entrepreneurs in Europe” includes the chapter “Social Economy and Social Entrepreneurship: the role of social economy enterprises in supporting migrant entrepreneurs” written by Diesis Network, REVES and CECOP.
When it comes to business support to migrant entrepreneurs, the social economy enterprises are rarely mentioned. However, the support that Social Economy can give to migrant entrepreneurs can take multiple forms. The chapter “Social Economy and Social Entrepreneurship: the role of social economy enterprises in supporting migrant entrepreneurs” wishes to analyse how actors from the social economy sector support migrants before, during and after the creation of a social enterprise.
Indeed, with its people-centered approach, social economy enterprises are active in welcoming of migrants, in the social and economic inclusion and integration of migrants in the labour market, in the creation of good quality jobs in labour-intensive sectors and the cultural inclusion.
Besides, social enterprises can support migrants in the creation of their business, also social businesses, as incubators and mentoring programs for aspiring migrant entrepreneurs exist. Moreover, aspiring migrant entrepreneurs can also join existing social enterprises and become part of their management. Moreover, to support at best migrants and newcomers, social economy enterprises collaborate with migrant-led organisations, business support organisation, public authorities and financial institutions.
Through many best practices, the chapter “Social Economy and Social Entrepreneurship: the role of social economy enterprises in supporting migrant entrepreneurs” illustrates to you the positive contribution of social economy enterprises in migrants’ integration, in particular when it comes to migrant entrepreneurship.
The chapter concludes with a set of recommendations on how, in the future, we could fully exploit the potential of the social economy in providing support to migrant entrepreneurs.