Legal Preconditions of Social Entrepreneurship: Perspectives in Selected European Countries and in the European Union Legislation

Abstract

This dissertation aims to determine legal preconditions of social entrepreneurship in the European Union as well as in the particular EU and European Free Trade Association. It seeks to determine whether the legal regulation of social entrepreneurship is adequate and identify potential weaknesses, differences, and contradictions of this legal regulation in the EU, the particular EU and EFTA Member States. The dissertation also tries to determine main elements of the definition of social entrepreneurship or social business, (and related definitions) based on legislation, scientific literature, and authors own observations; to define the place of social entrepreneurship legal regulation in the legal system of the EU and particular countries. Moreover, it provides a wide comparison of the regulatory relationship of social entrepreneurship with other regulatory areas in the context of legal system (social innovation, CSR, legal technology, and such global initiatives as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) in order to identify possibly best regulation practices and to estimate the potential of social entrepreneurship.