The Development of Social Economy in France Since 1945

The social economy is large and legally embedded in France yet its institutions and practices are poorly understood in the English-speaking world. The roots of the social economy lie in pre-Marxian socialism, the labor movement, and social Catholicism. Marginalized after World War II, the theory and practice of social economy made a comeback with the second left of the 1970s and 1980s, including a particular emphasis on self-management or autogestion. With new legal support for cooperatives and growing academic interest in social economy, the future is promising. At the same time, the collapse of the Socialist Party and the liberal trend of the main union federation supporting social economy are worrisome.