社会企业法重要吗?

Joseph W. Yockey
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引用次数: 12

摘要

社会企业法正在席卷全国。企业家现在可以在几种新的法律形式下组织起来,包括“利益公司”形式。从理论上讲,这些选择将使具有社会意识的企业更容易追求利润和公共利益的双重底线——即在做好事的同时做得好。本文对这一理论进行了验证。在询问社会企业法律是否重要时,我发现答案是“是的”,但不是大多数人认为的原因。社会企业法律的标准理由是,它们使管理者免于将利润置于社会目标之上的“义务”。但这种想法没有抓住要点;现有的公司法已经足够灵活,可以允许大多数社会/经济权衡。相反,我认为社会企业法通过创造一种新的制度结构来增加价值,这种制度结构将激励自我监管标准的发展,并为法律顾问和亲社会投资者提供有益的协调机制。因此,本文为社会企业法律提供了一种独特的思考方式。这些法律不是简单地提供新的现成的法律形式,而是鼓励规范创造和私人参与的过程,这应该推动社会企业运动向前发展。最后,我向公司和立法者提供了一些加强这种动力的策略。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
Does Social Enterprise Law Matter?
Social enterprise laws are sweeping through the nation. Entrepreneurs can now organize under one of several new legal forms, including the “benefit corporation” form. In theory, these options will make it easier for socially minded firms to pursue a double bottom line of profit and public benefit — that is, to do well while doing good. This Article tests that theory. In asking whether social enterprise laws matter, I find that the answer is “yes,” but not for the reasons most people think. The standard rationale for social enterprise laws is that they free managers from the “duty” to put profits ahead of social objectives. But that idea misses the point; existing corporate law is already flexible enough to permit most social/economic tradeoffs. Instead, I argue that social enterprise laws add value by creating a new institutional structure that will motivate the development of self-regulatory standards and provide a helpful coordinating mechanism for legal advisors and pro-social investors. The Article thus offers a unique way of thinking about social enterprise laws. Rather than simply provide new off-the-rack legal forms, these laws encourage a process of norm creation and private engagement that ought to drive the social enterprise movement forward. I conclude by offering firms and lawmakers several strategies to reinforce this dynamic.
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