Conference theme

As we move toward the third decade of the 21st century, innovative enterprises seeking to solve critical social and environmental issues are becoming integral to the modern economy. Organizations – from private companies to nongovernmental organizations – are increasingly focusing on the needs of local communities, society and the environment, not simply as an add-ons to their businesses but as integral goals of their business model. Terms like social economy, corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship are becoming a part of our daily lexicon and discussed regularly in forums addressing civil society, politics, education and business practices.

In addition, a global awareness of social and environmental needs and problems have drawn the attention of consumers to products and services that not only satisfy their individual needs, but also create value for the environment by supporting those in need and caring for the natural environment. We are witnessing the rise of the socially conscious consumer!

Despite the promising moves toward socially minded businesses, challenges still exist. To truly have a social or environmental impact, we need to increase the interest of innovators, young startups, and investors in social and environmental problems. We also need to fulfill this social mission through the implementation of ambitious research projects and new business ventures.

Another key challenge is ensuring that companies maintain a double-bottom line – one for profits and the other for social impact. Young startups might be both unaware of the advantages of building socially innovative companies but also lack the capacity to create a social return on investment model that optimizes their profits while also increasing their social value in the communities and societies they serve. Education also plays a critical role in this change. Schools and universities need to provide the new generation with not only valuable skills and knowledge, but the right mindsets, motivations and awareness of the social issues around them.

Over the next decade, we anticipate seeing concerns about management efficiency to shift more toward innovation and entrepreneurship and the development of pro-social attitudes in all spheres of economic life. We also expect the focus on individual entrepreneurial behaviors to be coupled with support for the social economy and the values of solidarity, participation, responsibility and social cohesion. Binding the social economy with public and private sector entities and third sector organizations corresponds perfectly with broadly understood notion of entrepreneurship.

The aim of the conference is to present a wide spectrum of scientific theories, views and opinions on the importance, status and opportunities for the development of the social economy, ecological economy, entrepreneurship and social innovation, legal conditions for development of economics in Poland and in the world. We invite representatives of science, sociology, politics, business, students and scientific clubs and all those interested in the areas of economics, social economy, ecology, entrepreneurship and innovation.