Aims

The course is given over to an analysis of the social economy and the non-commercial sector.
The aim is to situate these organisations within market economies, and analyse their raisons d'être by comparison with the private for-profit sector and the public authorities. By the end of the module, students will have an overview of economic analyses of the unofficial economy, and will be able to use them in analyses of specific organisations.

Main themes

Students will initially be asked to provide conceptual clarifications on notions such as the non-commercial sector, the social economy, the unofficial sector and the associative sector. The course will then discuss the respective roles of the public sector, the private for-profit sector and the social economy sector in the provision of quasi-collective goods. The course will also look at various public policies that govern the provision of these quasi-collective goods.
In addition to the principles of the management and optimum pricing procedures of public enterprises as set out in Economics and Public Finances course, this course will carry out, among other things, an economic analysis of organisations, introducing such notions as incomplete and quasi-market contracts.
Systematic reference will be made to the social economy in Belgium at the present time and to its key issues.

Content and teaching methods

Plan
I. Approaches to the concepts and realities of the 'non-commercial' and social economy sectors.
II. Economic analysis and raisons d'être of associations. .
III. Some social economy places of work.
Method
The aim of the methodology of this course is to enable students to rigorously consider and analyse the socio-economic realities that flow from a social economic dynamic using analytical grids provided during lectures. In this connection, the course will link lectures, collective analyses of documents carried out in sessions, and presentations by students of contributions that they have prepared in advance. The course will therefore include personal reading, some of which will happen prior to the course (so that there can be discussion on the subject), and presentations of certain contributions on questions specified during the semester. The method of working will be similar to that of a seminar, and regular attendance and active participation on the course will therefore be required.


(2) La note personnelle de synthèse construite et argumentée qui présentera l'analyse économique
d'une organisation d'économie sociale que l'étudiant aura choisi.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Two-year degree courses in Economic Sciences.

Evaluation will be based on:
(1) short written contributions, and oral presentations of them, during the semester;
(2) the mark for the well-constructed and argued summary that will present the economic analysis of a social economy organisation already selected by the student.

Syllabus consisting of a series of reference articles (available from the DUC).




The Social policies, Economic analysis and Public economic courses complement this course in an interesting way, and the Economics of Education and Health courses provide in-depth examinations in specific areas.