Policy | SEWF Events

The time is now: opportunities and challenges for social entrepreneurs – highlights from the SEWF23 Policy Forum

by Kasia Kotlarska / May 2023

“You have to sell this vision of the future and the new economy that works better for the environment. (…) As we’ve come out of the pandemic, we’ve seen share prices of various companies soaring while the very poorest people, especially in my region, can’t afford to feed their families. (…) And the second thing is how do you link it to the global, key national challenges and priorities that these governments have. So looking at climate change, looking at post-pandemic recovery. And not pitching social enterprise as an idea but as potential solutions.” – Jonathan Wong, UNESCAP (Thailand)   

Global recognition for social enterprise has grown dramatically in the last decade, especially in the past two years. In this post-pandemic reality, the world is looking for alternatives. This explosion in interest comes with many challenges and opportunities. It also creates a need for robust policy to support the work of social enterprises. It’s no surprise that these ideas were echoed at this year’s SEWF Policy Forum. 

On 24 May, policymakers and social entrepreneurs gathered virtually at the Policy Forum with over 550 registrations from over 70 countries. Participants had the opportunity to engage in 13 sessions with over 20 expert speakers. They discussed the growing recognition of social enterprises and the opportunities and challenges associated with developing and scaling the impact of strong social enterprise ecosystems. 

All eyes on social enterprise 

An screenshot showing a group of SEWF Policy Forum speaker talking during the event.We live in a post-pandemic world that is also facing a climate emergency. It is clear that we need to address the way we conduct our economy. Governments now increasingly look to social enterprises as essential partners in tackling the biggest challenges in our society and international bodies, such as the European Union and African Union, are introducing social economy strategies. Policy Forum speaker Jonathan Wong from UNESCAP (Thailand) was struck by the explosion of policy implementation in Asia and the Pacific, with governments coming together to promote inclusive business. Dato’ Shahira Ahmed Bazari from Yayasan Hasanah (Malaysia) reported that the Malaysian government recently set a budget for social enterprises for the first time ever. 

However, the social economy is still in its infancy in parts of the world. We need to bridge the gap between what happens in the policymaking world and how that translates into day-to-day activities for social entrepreneurs. Governments need to collaborate to create systems that enable social enterprises to grow and increase their positive impact. This means developing strategies and policies that strengthen the environment for social enterprise. We need governments to encourage traditional businesses to prioritise social and environmental impact. We also need cross-sector collaboration, recognising that no one can achieve systems change alone. As Jennifer Beason from SAP said when talking about transformative partnerships, “We’ll go faster together.”

An image contains a quote: The social enterprises in these communities may not be registered but it doesn’t mean that they are any less legitimate. They hold the legitimacy of the community within their work. They are trusted through which they draw resources, they have the networks that are highly localised. Our role as policymakers is to say, what can we do to support them to be great at what they do at a very local level? How do we support them to reaffirm their trust systems? How do we open up their networks so that they can meet others doing similar things to break the isolation that happens often when you’re working at such a deep community level. Kerryn Krige, London School of Economics (UK)

Unlocking untapped potential 

Although the future of the social economy looks promising, there are still many things we don’t know.  One challenge highlighted in several discussions was the lack of data and metrics supporting the awareness and impact of social enterprises.  

Another challenge is that governments and policies don’t always reach the right people. Rana Dajani from We Love Reading (Jordan / USA) said “The concept and term of social enterprise only came recently … because there are plenty of social entrepreneurs, it’s just that they’re undiscovered. I never talked about myself as a social entrepreneur until later I realised ‘oh that’s what social entrepreneurship is?’ I was doing it [my work] because I cared.” 

Creating platforms 

As several economies around the world continue to transition to a new economy that is more inclusive and sustainable, more needs to be done to achieve this goal. To implement effective policies, identify useful metrics and reach hard-to-reach enterprises, more awareness needs to be created about the social enterprise sector.  There is a need for collaboration on a global and regional level, as well as continuing to create spaces to discuss important policy issues. As Dato’ Shahira Ahmed Bazari, Yayasan Hasanah (Malaysia) points out, indeed “we’ve got a lot to learn from each other”. 

With government interest and increasing funding, it’s exciting to be in the social entrepreneurship space. But there’s more work that needs to be done to address the challenges. We need a coordinated effort and spaces to discuss issues. That’s why at SEWF we continue to create those platforms. The SEWF Policy Forum is part of SEWF’s series of events for 2023. This year our annual flagship event, the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF23) will be hosted in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from 11-12 October with SEWF23 Week running from 9-13 October. You can choose to join us in person, online, or at one of many Community Hubs worldwide (locations to be announced soon!).