This open-access book brings together international experts who shed new light on the status of
social enterprises benefit corporations and other purpose-driven companies. The respective
chapters take a multidisciplinary approach (combining law philosophy history sociology and
economics) and provide valuable insights on fostering social entrepreneurship and advancing the
common good. In recent years we have witnessed a significant shift of how business activities
are conducted mainly through the rise of social enterprises. In an effort to target social
problems at their roots social entrepreneurs create organizations that bring transformative
social changes by considering among others ethical social and environmental factors. A
variety of social enterprise models are emerging internationally and are proving their vitality
and importance. But what does the term social enterprise mean? What are its roots? And how does
it work in practice within the legal framework of any country? This handbook attempts to answer
these questions from a theoretical historical and comparative perspective bringing together
44 contributions written by 71 expert researchers and practitioners in this field. The first
part provides an overview of the social enterprise movement its evolution and the different
forms entities can take to meet global challenges overcoming the limits of what governments
and states can do. The second part focuses on the emergence of benefit corporations and the
growing importance of sustainability and societal values while also analyzing their different
legal forms and adaptation to their regulatory environment. In turn the last part presents the
status quo of purpose-driven companies in 36 developed and emerging economies worldwide. This
handbook offers food for thought and guidance for everyone interested in this field. It will
benefit practitioners and decision-makers involved in social and community organizations as
well as in international development and more generally speaking social sciences and
economics.
