Social exclusion and work integration: Social cooperatives for people with mental health problems in Greece

Sofia Adam ()
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Sofia Adam: Observatory of Social and Economic Developments, Labour Institute/Greek General Confederation of Labour, Greece

No 1408, CIRIEC Working Papers from CIRIEC - Université de Liège

Abstract: Social economy initiatives are often considered as the most effective social inclusion strategy both in policy guidelines and academic discourse. In particular, social enterprises are expected to provide work integration for those furthest away from the labor market, to foster the development of deprived areas and to contribute to social cohesion. It is the intention of this paper to unfold the relevant discourses around social exclusion and explore the role they attribute to third sector organizations in general and social enterprises in particular. In order to do so, we construct a typology of multiple social exclusion discourses and critically examine the centrality they attribute to work integration and to collective regulations of social problems. This theoretical contribution guides our exploration of the role of social cooperatives for persons with mental health problems in Greece. The results presented refer mainly to goal mixes and work integration outcomes. These results bear in turn important insights for policy orientation in the field of social economy. Social economy initiatives may strive better as a social inclusion strategy if they are not restricted to mere work integration but are allowed to unfold their potential in a multiplicity of fields (socialization, social movement formation, empowerment, etc.) and are internally linked to coherent social protection policies

Keywords: social exclusion; social enterprises; work integration; Greece. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hme
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