Advancing Inclusive Employment through the Social and Solidarity Economy: Economic Participation, Capability Formation, and Resilient Labour-Market Integration
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Abstract
The social and solidarity economy (SSE) has increasingly been considered an organizational framework capable of combining economic activity with social inclusion, employment creation and collective participation. This paper examines the contribution of the SSE to the economic and labour-market inclusion of women, young people and disadvantaged workers through a structured review of the recent literature. The analysis focuses on three complementary dimensions: women’s economic empowerment, leadership and gender equality; youth social entrepreneurship, capability formation and transitions into employment; and work integration, decent work and employment resilience. The literature shows that cooperatives and social enterprises can provide opportunities for income generation, entrepreneurship, skills development, participation and employment while strengthening individual and collective capabilities. However, the effects of SSE participation depend strongly on organizational governance, job quality, institutional support, territorial ecosystems and access to financial and productive resources. Gender norms, unequal opportunities, labour-market barriers and tensions between commercial sustainability and social objectives continue to constrain inclusion. The findings consequently suggest that the contribution of the SSE should not be evaluated exclusively through employment numbers. Effective inclusion requires attention to employment quality, organizational participation, capabilities, social recognition, resilience and sustainable transitions into economic activity.
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