Challenges for social entrepreneurs in Poland Marzena Bednarkiewicz The Friends of Disabled Society

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Challenges for social entrepreneurs in
PolandMarzena BednarkiewiczThe Friends of
Disabled SocietyLjubljana 2008
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Social entrepreneur - social firm
managerStructure of support Social Economy
CentreGeneral recommendations
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Social Firm KLOS Manager Dominik Murawa
manager_at_klos.org.pl

• Advantages
• business opportunity in hospitality industry in
  Lodz region
• high motivation of disabled employees
• raising public awareness of the need of
  disabled employment
• Disadvantages
• infrastructure too poor to meet hotel standards
  (resources of financing)
• Over employment and high payroll costs (trainers
  higher wages than industry average, trainees
  need constant attention and supervision in
  initial months)
• No government support to help survive low season

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Social Support Me-You-We President of Board
Tomasz Musielski tmusielski_at_wsparciespoleczne.pl

• Finances
• Advantages
• Structural funds granted to Poland within the
  framework of the new financial perspective
  (2007-2013) may become a great opportunity for
  the sector of social economy
• Disadvantages
• Lack of stable financing system for social
  enterprises
• Lack of tasks commissioned to social economy
  entities by means of public procurement

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Development strategies

• Advantages
• In the National Development Strategy 2007-2015
  there are statements related to social economy
• Disadvantages
• Lack of regional programmes that would support
  social economy

Supporting institutions Advantages Centers
supporting social economy (Social Economy Centre,
Supporting Centre for Social Cooperatives) are
being established. Disadvantages Lack of system
solutions concerning the support of social
economy institutions.
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• Criteria
• Advantages
• Economic and social criteria as distinguishing
  features of social firms.
• Disadvantages
• Lack of economic instruments in most social
  enterprises.
• Social aims overshadow economic ones.

Cooperation Advantages The establishment of the
Social Economy Forum in Lodz as a harbinger of
the partnership of the three sectors. Disadvantag
es Lack of partnerships between public, social
and private agents
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• Legislation
• Advantages
• The bill on social firms. The bill that amends
  the Act of Law on social cooperatives.
• Disadvantages
• Lack of legal regulations for the social firm. No
  Act of Law for social firms
• The Act of Law on social cooperatives is severely
  criticized by members of social cooperatives and
  revision is in process

Management Advantages The establishment of the
social economy school in Krakow.
Disadvantages Lack of social economy managers.

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• General disadvantages
• -Lack of knowledge and understanding from labor
  offices workers and management for disadvantage
  people
• -Lack of basic knowledge about social economy,
  social cooperatives although in Poland we have
  law about social cooperatives since 2006
• -Low skills of social cooperatives participants
  about running business
• -Bad habits of solely demanding
• -Lack of strong and competence support for social
  enterprises.
• -Lack of connection between local and central
  (ministry) structures.
• Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs cooperate
  more with NGOs then with local governance
• -Diversity of projects based on different
  experiences which are realized in EQUAL framework
• -One-dimensional thinking in only social or only
  commercial categories.

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...and advantages -Creation of interesting
solutions during realization of projects in EQUAL
framework -Intensive work at creation of new
image of social cooperatives discredited during
communistic period -Essential dispute with
participation non-governmental organisations
concerning social economy -Enthusiasm of excluded
persons, academic circles and non-governmental
organisations -Increased consciousness concerning
consumers preferences which are presently more
influenced by social and ecological
values -Consumers preferences are under guidance
of higher values because of improving life
conditions and life quality. -Role of social
economy enterprises in European and world
economy -Tiredness with too great tempo of life,
alienation and competition which results in
return of social values
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• Thank You for your attention
• www.tpn.org.pl
• www.klos.org.pl
• www.wsparciespoleczne.org.pl
• mbednarkiewicz_at_tpn.org.pl