Civil Society, Social Economy and Empowerment in Time of Welfare-State Crisis
This paper considers the growing role of civil society as organizer of social economy on the local level, using empowerment as a way of mobilizing of social solidarity and creating a more justice society. The transition of European societies not only raises the question of the role of the state and welfare-state as well but also of looking for new ways to improve of quality of social life - therefore I do not see any reasons to give up hope of the modernism, that we are in position to create to some extend our life-conditions our self. It does not mean that we underestimate the facts that contemporary large-scale, bureaucratically organized and less egalitarian societies base still on the unequal distribution of power; „power being in the hand of a few“.
My critical analysis will focus on three questions ;1) question of unemployment and poverty in Europe and their impact on dignity of each citizen, 2) the concepts of a civil society and social solidarity in relationship to community-based social movements for social excluded people, and 3) question of social economy as a possible response to crisis of labor market and welfare-state. My paper bases on the statistical data and experiences of UE-countries.