The DICES Project is hosting an online webinar on mapping the social economy in Europe, offering a first look at the upcoming DICES report Conceptual Framework and Mapping of the Social Economy in Europe.
The session is an accessible introduction for researchers, students, practitioners, policymakers, and anyone interested in social economy, care systems, and democratic governance in Europe.
About the webinar
Across Europe, the social economy is reshaping how communities organise care, work, and democratic life. From cooperatives and mutuals to associations and grassroots initiatives, it brings together practices that place people and social purpose ahead of profit. Yet what the social economy looks like varies sharply between countries, shaped by legal definitions, policy support, and cultural traditions. Mapping that diversity reveals where the social economy is thriving, where it is constrained, and how care, inclusion, and democratic governance come together in practice.
The DICES project examines this across nine European countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, and Norway. The webinar opens with a conceptual framing and then turns to the Belgian case. The upcoming report will go further, pairing a theoretical foundation, built around social economy, social inclusion, economic democracy, and care as a bridging concept, with a comparative mapping of all nine contexts.
What to expect
The webinar opens with a conceptual framing introducing key notions from the forthcoming report, then moves into the mapping findings with a country spotlight on Belgium, and closes with an open Q&A.
Key themes
- Social economy as a driver of inclusive and democratic development
- Care as a bridging concept across economic, social, and gender dimensions
- Economic democracy and participatory governance, from theory to practice
- Country mapping: variation, drivers, and barriers across Europe
- Policy-relevant insights and good practices
Speakers
- Andreas Exner, University of Graz, will present the conceptual framework
- Barbara Sak, CIRIEC, and Nazik Beishenaly, KU Leuven, will present the Belgium spotlight
- Moderated by Markus Blümel, University of Graz
