Where Do We Go Now? Missed Opportunities and Uncertain Future- Evaluation of the Foundations for the Development of the Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Croatia

Baturina, Danijel

Social entrepreneurship and social enterprises represent umbrella terms for various innovative and dynamic practices. The key difference between entrepreneurship in the business sector and social entrepreneurship is that the latter prioritises welfare and social goals (Baturina and Babić, 2021). Social entrepreneurship has become an autonomous area of practice and research in Europe (Borzaga et al.,2020.). The social entrepreneurship sector is relatively new in Croatia, still in the phase of progressive development (Vidović, 2019). A new sector with different development issues such as a lack of an appropriate legal and financial framework, or policy support (Vidović, 2019, Baturina and Babić, 2021).

The goal of this paper is to evaluate the current state and potential of developing an enabling social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Croatia. The paper will rely on a) a literature review (previous research, public policy documentation, official statistical data) b) recent empirical research (quantitative research based on a survey conducted within the Croatian Social Enterprise Monitor research (Vidović et al, 2023) and 2024 iteration (to be published) and two qualitative researches based on the case studies of innovative initiatives in the sector (Baturina and Matančević, 2023.; Baturina and Mardeža Bajs, 2023). The analysis will reflect several key dimensions of the ecosystem (policy, financial framework, skills and education and networking capacities and visibility) already recognized as important in the EU context (Borgaza et al., 2020).

The discussion will assess social enterprise sector ecosystem development in Croatia from the perspective of sector status in the Central and Eastern European context (Defourny, J., Nyssens, 2021) and the broader European context (Dupain et al., 2022). The conclusion will give some recommendations for the future development of sector and try to reflect on social entrepreneurship in Croatia as a new forms of entrepreneurship orientated towards advancing normative goals of justice, equity, and sustainability.