Focus on the Balkans

Abstract

The “blended” social and economic value created by social enterprises can, the authors argue in “Focus on the Balkans: Social Enterprise in Albania,” demonstrate a “middle way” between the excesses of both communism and capitalism. Focusing on the western Balkans region of Europe, which has transitioned from a communist past, this chapter considers whether social enterprises in this context have the potential to demonstrate such a “middle way” by challenging norms concerning how the economy is conceived by posing an alternative business framework to market fundamentalism while also contributing to more traditional non–market-focused “social goals” such as breaking down prejudices concerning marginalized groups. This chapter analyzes the discourses of key actors involved in the work of an Albanian social enterprise to examine various competing conceptualizations and uses of social enterprise. In contrast to the role of social enterprise as a “middle way” actor, the authors find that there is also potential for the concept to be employed in post-communist countries as a neoliberal adjustment instrument, promoting a particular form of market-oriented transition. The chapter explores how the actors involved negotiate these complex and multidirectional forces and attempt to navigate the socioeconomic terrain in which the social enterprise is situated.