This report was prepared by the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE) led by Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director, as part of the Programme of Work of the Local Employment and Economic Development (LEED) Programme. It was produced in collaboration with the European Union, as part of the commitments taken under the Social Economy Action Plan.
This report was drafted by Sofija Rakcejeva, Policy Analyst, with guidance of Amal Chevreau, Head of the Social Economy and Innovation Unit (CFE/LEED). The document benefited from inputs, comments and country information from Brigitte Fellahi-Brognaux (Head of Unit for Inclusive and Social Entrepreneurship) and Rúben Rebelo (Policy Officer) at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Marleen Denef and Bram Van Baelen, lawyers at Impact Advocaten, provided background research. Defne Ulusoy, María Uceda López and Léo Zimmerli, interns, performed additional research. Nadim Ahmad, Deputy Director of CFE and Karen Maguire, Head of Division (CFE/LEED) provided guidance, comments and suggestions.
The OECD and the European Commission would like to warmly thank the 50+ stakeholders who participated in 25 focus groups and interviews conducted from September to December 2024 for their insights (see Annex A for the full list of participants).
The authors would like to thank Katrina Baker, Communications Officer, and Elisa Campestrin, Research Assistant, for preparing the infographics, as well as Eloisa Cozar Navarrete, Assistant and Jack Waters, Publications Coordinator, for the layout and cover for this document.