Canada is a federal parliamentary democracy, officially bilingual (English and French), and one of the most multicultural countries in the world. Indeed, more than one-fifth of Canada’s population consists of first-generation immigrants, and a similar percentage classify themselves as visible minorities. A confederation of ten provinces and three territories, Canada has a current population of over 36 million people who live across an expansive geographic area that constitutes the second largest country in the world. In this multifaceted context, the social economy of Canada plays an important role in bridging the public and private sectors to form a strong social infrastructure (Quarter, Mook, & Armstrong, 2018). It constitutes a vast range of organizations guided by social objectives including nonprofit organizations such as charities, foundations, and social enterprises; and cooperatives both non-financial and financial. There are distinct traditions of the social economy in anglophone and francophone parts of Canada. There are also traditions specific to particular populations, such as the Black social economy (Hossein, 2013); and the Indigenous social economy (Restoule, Gruner, & Metatawabin, 2012; Sengupta, Vieta, & McMurtry, 2015; Wuttunee, 2010). In this review, we look at the anglophone research on the social economy, noting that there are also French-language research institutions and educational programs focusing on the social economy; however, a review of these is beyond our scope. After providing an overview of the concept of social economy in Canada, we summarize research on its scope and size in the Canadian context. Next we focus on voluntaristic behaviors of giving, volunteering (formal and informal), and participating. Our focus shifts to describing the infrastructure supporting research of the sector, including key academic and umbrella associations and networks, as well as formal and informal education programs. Finally, we describe key funders of social economy research including government and foundations.

The unique historical, economic, and social features of the Canadian North pose special challenges for the social economy – a sector that includes nonprofits, co-operatives, social enterprises, and community economic development organizations. Northern Communities Working Together highlights the innovative ways in which Northerners are using the social economy to meet their economic, social, and cultural challenges while increasing local control and capabilities. The contributors focus on the special challenges of the North and their impact on the scope of the social economy, including analyses of land claim organizations, hunter support programs, and Indigenous conceptions of the social economy. A welcome resource for scholars and policy-makers studying any aspect of the Canadian North, Northern Communities Working Together is a major contribution to the literature on the social economy in Canada.

This pioneering book explores the meaning of the term “Black social economy,” a self-help sector that remains autonomous from the state and business sectors. With the Western Hemisphere’s ignoble history of enslavement and violence towards African peoples, and the strong anti-black racism that still pervades society, the African diaspora in the Americas has turned to alternative practices of socio-economic organization. Conscientious and collective organizing is thus a means of creating meaningful livelihoods. In this volume, fourteen scholars explore the concept of the “Black social economy,” bringing together innovative research on the lived experience of Afro-descendants in business and society in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, and the United States. The case studies in this book feature horrific legacies of enslavement, colonization, and racism, and they recount the myriad ways that persons of African heritage have built humane alternatives to the dominant market economy that excludes them. Together, they shed necessary light on the ways in which the Black race has been overlooked in the social economy literature.

The second edition of Understanding the Social Economy expands upon the authors' ground-breaking examination of organizations founded upon a social mission - social enterprises, non-profits, co-operatives, credit unions, and community development associations.

Green and Social Economy Finance is a compilation of chapters by experts, linking research and practice. This anthology provides a new thinking on social economy green finance, showing emerging themes and trends. It spans from stock markets, green finance, innovations, digitalization to social finance, governance and theories of change. It concentrates on impact, opportunity recognition and development of financial products designed to finance the green and social economy. Without the attraction of capital, social entrepreneurship, and innovations, green finance can face difficulty in addressing business solutions. Green and social economy is a nascent field. The authors address the conceptualization of green and social solutions and identify new trends in the finance industry products and approaches. The book demonstrates that aligning finance and investment with the Paris Agreement, sustainable development goals and needs and interests of society are feasible.

Social economy -- also known as "non-profit" or "third sector" -- organizations have grown in number and relevance, contributing to employment, social inclusion, democratic participation and community building. Much remains to be done, however, to create the necessary enabling environment to support their creation and development and to mainstream the sector in economic and social policies. This publication offers new insights into the economic theory of social economy organizations, their role in an evolving political and economic context, and the links to local development and the empowerment of users. Building on theoretical and empirical developments in OECD member countries, the publication also presents the main challenges for the social economy in Central East and South East Europe. Recommendations for action are included.--Publisher's description.

How the largest social movement in history is making the world a better place.