Public-private-partnership for Social and Solidarity Economy

In Central Europe (CE) cooperation area, territorial and socioeconomic gaps remain evident among EU member states where the diverse path-dependent trajectories influence the institutional approaches addressing social and regional cohesion (source: EUROSTAT, 2016-2019), showing as social exclusion and poverty affect more Eastern and Mediterranean Market Economies (source: EUROSTAT, 2018-2019). As Territorial Agenda 2030 promotes the territorialisation of social policies, favouring the creation of polycentric networks, 3P4SSE aims to fill CE regional gaps in addressing weak economic sectors (with low added value) and disadvantaged people, by promoting the territorial clusterisation of Social and Solidarity Economies (SSEs), creating a multilevel networks scheme at European and regional scales, based on Public-Private Partnership (3Ps) and a strategic EU cooperation. 3P4SSE will go beyond the current state of art of social innovation projects in CE cooperation area, adopting a place-based approach, based on the cohesion of the specificities and promoting the vertical and horizontal cooperation among public and private actors, implementing: (1) joint strategy for strengthening SSE within CE area; (5) Action Plans to be applied at regional scales, encouraging peer review and learning dynamics on public services (health, education, and social services); (1) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in order to formalise the project stakeholders collaboration within a European network of SSE; (1) IT knowledge and services sharing platform, to facilitate the mutual learning and exchange. Project results will address the diverse decision-makers (public and private actors) in CE cooperation area. The transnational cooperation based on a joint strategy gives a more comprehensive (learning from the different 3Ps collaboration models) and a more sustainable approach (Knowledge sharing platform and European SSE Network for further cooperation) to tackle the challenge.

The 3P4SSE project advances scientific knowledge by introducing a new, empirically grounded model of territorial clusterisation of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) within the Central Europe area, where territorial and socioeconomic disparities remain significant (EUROSTAT 2016–2019). By combining a place-based approach, transnational cooperation, and 3P partnerships (public–private–participatory), the project goes beyond existing social innovation frameworks. Its scientific contribution is evident in: the development of a joint strategy enabling comparative analysis of diverse institutional SSE practices across the CE region, five regional Action Plans offering new empirical insights into the effects of territorialised social policies, the establishment of a European SSE Network and a digital knowledge-sharing platform, supporting long-term data collection, exchange, and standardisation. The project strengthens scientific understanding of how tailored, territorially specific approaches and 3P collaboration models can enhance social cohesion and the effectiveness of public services across varied European contexts.

The 3P4SSE project represents an opportunity for Slovenia to systematically strengthen social services, support the development of less developed regions, professionalise the SSE sector, and integrate into European knowledge networks. In doing so, it directly contributes to social cohesion, community resilience, and the sustainable economic growth of the country.