Social Enterprise in Taiwan

Abstract

In “Social Enterprise in Taiwan: Economic and Social Welfare Transition,” the author introduces the economic and welfare journey of Taiwan over the past century and discusses how the newly blossomed business model of social enterprise shapes the social welfare and economic disciplines in the modern development of Taiwan. The implication of social enterprise starts in 2007. The planning process reveals the interdependency between economic and welfare development and extends the discussions to public–private collaboration on resolving social problems. In 2014, the government announced its phase-one plan “2014–2016 Social Enterprise Action Plan.” The Ministries of Labor, Economic Affairs, Interior, and Health and Welfare have collaborated for policy integration and action planning since then. By the end of 2019, there were 455 various-sized enterprises registered on the list of social innovative organizations. Many social enterprises progress to become B corporations. By November 2019, there were already 25 B corporations in Taiwan, with 8 of them honored as “the best for the world 2019.”