While especially in francophone countries the term
“Economie Sociale et Solidaire” is equated to the social economy (and sometimes to social
business), mainly in its institutional recognition, RIPESS uses Social Solidarity Economy to join
the two approaches as a political, social and institutional movement including different
economic approaches from organisations seeking social value and repairing Market economy
damages, to initiatives seeking a more radical socio-economic change. It includes non-profit
organisations, for-benefit enterprises and informal economic initiatives, by their explicit
economic, social and environmental objectives as well as various forms of collaborative,
associative and solidarity relations.
