Number of social economy enterprises (headquarters)

The social economy (ES) consists of economic activities producing goods or services, carried out by companies, mainly cooperative and/or for social purposes, mutual societies, foundations and associations whose ethics translates into the following principles: 1) purpose of services to members or the community rather than profit 2) management autonomy 3) democratic decision-making process 4) primacy of individuals and labour over capital in the distribution of income. Several indicators were selected to account for the place and characteristics of the social economy in Wallonia. Among these are the number of ES enterprises according to the size class (number of workstations). Note: The social economy is often confused with the non-marketer. Yet these two concepts do not refer to the same reality, even if they partially overlap. Thus the social economy, by virtue of the principle of autonomy of management, is never found in the public sector as can the non-merchant. On the other hand, it can, unlike the non-merchant, rely on quasi-exclusively market resources.