The Role of Participatory Governance in the EMES Approach to Social Enterprise

This paper emphasizes the importance of participative governance in the EMES approach to social enterprise. The EMES approach is based on three dimensions, rather than a single one, as is common in most Anglo-American definitions of social enterprise. The latter often see social enterprise as a simple phenomenon that can be arranged along a continuum, ranging from economic to social, where more of one means less of the other. Alternatively, a “unified theory”, based on key elements from a single academic discipline, is proposed; but it fails to acknowledge the multi-disciplinary nature of the EMES approach. The multi-dimensional approach of EMES combines economic, social and political elements and, therefore, can more readily promote a truly multi-disciplinary understanding of this complex phenomenon. However, EMES needs to devote greater attention to exploring the interactive and interrelated nature of these three dimensions of social enterprise in Europe.