Social Enterprise Law

To paraphrase Shakespeare, there are more forms of business enterprise than are dreamt of in our theory of the firm. This volume brings together experts on jurisdictions ranging from Belgium and Dubai to Switzerland and Taiwan to describe the traditional and innovative structures employed by entrepreneurs to combine aspects of for-profit business with a broader societal purpose. Together, they draw a clear picture of what social enterprise has come to mean, both where conventional business enterprises prioritise the common good and where such an approach would be disfavoured. The volume also examines the wide range of measures taken by state actors to regulate social enterprises. In those jurisdictions in which the state provides support for social enterprise, that support details the conditions that ventures must meet to receive and retain it. The reports also describe an array of specialised legal forms and certification regimes offered by state and private actors and consider their impact. Offering an unprecedented perspective, this volumes insights will inspire opportunities for innovation both by entrepreneurs themselves and by others in the private and public sectors determined to disrupt business law, thus making this area of law more responsive to the concerns of a diverse group of stakeholders.