Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
In this episode, Susanne Elsen, a professor of sociology, explores the innovative power of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) within the field of social services, especially in disadvantaged and remote regions. Within the context of social services, the SSE can be appealing to youth by giving young people the power to act and to be creative in broader community development for an eco-social transition. She highlights that the main difference between social services provisions from the SSE and the public is the bottom-up participation linking to collective action and the emphasis on concrete local needs. This, in turn, could stimulate local innovation and provide the enabling environment for self-determination and personal prosperity. To read the Encyclopedia’s entry on social services and the SSE, visit unrisd.org/encyclopedia-sse
In this episode, Susanne Elsen, a professor of sociology, explores the innovative power of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) within the field of social services, especially in disadvantaged and remote regions. Within the context of social services, the SSE can be appealing to youth by giving young people the power to act and to be creative in broader community development for an eco-social transition. She highlights that the main difference between social services provisions from the SSE and the public is the bottom-up participation linking to collective action and the emphasis on concrete local needs. This, in turn, could stimulate local innovation and provide the enabling environment for self-determination and personal prosperity. To read the Encyclopedia’s entry on social services and the SSE, visit unrisd.org/encyclopedia-sse
