Social Economy in Visegrad Countries: Sector Characteristics and Employment in Social Economy Entities
Sociálna ekonomika v krajinách Vyšehradskej skupiny: Charakteristiky sektora a zamestnanosť v subjektoch sociálnej ekonomiky
Ekonomika a spoločnosť, Volume 27, Number 1/2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24040/eas.2026.27.1.04
Odporúčaná forma citácie článku:
Pčolinská, L. (2026). Sociálna ekonomika v krajinách Vyšehradskej skupiny: Charakteristiky sektora a zamestnanosť v subjektoch sociálnej ekonomiky. Ekonomika a spoločnosť, 27 (1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.24040/eas.2026.27.1.04
Recommended form for quotation of the article:
Pčolinská, L. (2026). Social Economy in Visegrad Countries: Sector Characteristics and Employment in Social Economy Entities. Journal of Economics and Social Research, 27 (1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.24040/eas.2026.27.1.04
ABSTRACT
The aim of the article is to analyse the characteristics of the social economy sector in the Visegrad countries and to examine the employment structure within social economy entities. Using secondary data from the European Commission’s report Benchmarking the Socio-Economic Performance of the EU Social Economy, complemented by national sources, the study provides a comparative overview of the composition of social economy entities. The results highlight differences in the prevalence of associations, foundations, and registered social enterprises across the V4 countries and show that, despite contributing to job creation, their employment share remains modest. The findings confirm that the sector is still at an early stage of development in the V4 region.
Key words: Social economy. Non-profit entities. Visegrad countries. Employment in social economy entities.