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Contents

Preface (Gergely Fábián, Andrea Toldi)

Social and Solidarity Economy in France (Anna Delage, Yves Coutand)
Social Economy and Social Work in Austria (Gerhard Melinz, Astrid Pennerstorfer, Brigitta Zierer)
Social Policy and Social Economy in Slovakia (Ondrej Botek)
Social Economy in the Czech Republic (Šárka Ulčáková)
Social Enterprise in the Czech Republic (Šárka Dořičáková)
Social Economy in Poland - Overview of the Development and Current Situation of Social Economy Entities (Witold Mandrysz)
Development of Social Economy in Romania (Adina Rebeleanu, Livia Popescu)
Social Economy, Social Work in Hungary (László Patyán)

List of Contributors

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Preface

The professors from each country participating in the SOWOSEC (Social Work and Social Economy) Joint Degree Program fill a unique niche by discussing the characteristics of social economy in their respective countries. The purpose of this book is to define social economy within a national context and to elucidate the different forms, conditions and ways, institutions and actors in social economy function in these countries.

The members, universities and institutes of SOWOSEC have been working together since 2005 developing and implementing a European joint degree master's program that significantly widens the knowledge and competencies achieved in different bachelor programs. The philosophy of the program is as follows:

Due to the current social and economic changes throughout the social sphere, there is a growing demand that social service providers should adjust social provision to the economy. The aim of this program is to provide professionals working in the social field with economic knowledge and skills so that they would be able to plan and organize the economics of service planning, delivery and management.

International co-operation is needed in order to manage modern services within the social economy, and respond to the changes taking place across Europe. The joint degree offers a great variety of competencies needed in this field.

The philosophy behind this training is rather complicated, namely to enable social providers and academic institutions to successfully adjust to the changes caused by the cut of state resources and be able to manage, obtain resources, and make the organizations, as well as their programs and services well-known by the public. After acquiring the knowledge and standards of social work in the Bachelor program, students in SOWOSEC learn how to plan effective economic frameworks for social institutions and services. This master degree program joins the sometimes-divergent social and economic philosophy of social with respect to the professions and European standards.

The program was established and is presently operating in several countries (Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania - with the help of French and Swiss insitutions involved). Therefore the professors have decided to launch a scientific-professional book series, which thematically provides an overview of the characteristics, actors and future possibilities of the social economy.

The first volume introduces the definitions, as well as the legal-economic-social conditions that have developed in each country. The authors give an overview of the historical dimensions of social economy as well. Although experts interested in this topic know that no uniformly accepted terminology of social economy can be found in Europe, this book will provide a coherent picture of the similarities and differences of the interpretations and systems of each member country, as well as the common ground where the Western and Eastern countries (although with different economic-historical-social backgrounds) do have a common platform in the field of social economy. The individual studies contain the crucial information about the topic but introduce various examples of best practice which is particularly useful to the understanding of the different (or similar?) practices of social economy.

The book provides assistance to the students' studies but also to a much broader audience. For those who are interested in the current stage of each participating European country they can learn what steps those countries have taken to establish and develop a system of social economy. In this illuminating process common content and organizational elements are uncovered even when there are national differences.

The authors of the book have created a thorough, scientific and professional book to improve education. Additionally the authors congratulate their Hungarian partner, the University of Debrecen, Faculty of Health on the celebration of its 25th anniversary. These congratulations also include the 25th anniversary of social work training that was created at the time of the founding of the faculty. The professors of the social work training in the Faculty of Health are also founders of the SOWOSEC program and have been working together with their foreign partners since its inception. Students and the lecturers of the Faculty can receive the groups's first volume of the SOWOSEC book series as a birthday present, which will assist in education and also be a unique and significant contribution to the scientific background of the program.

Gergely Fábián, Andrea Toldi

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