A project is currently underway in Quebec to design and disseminate tools that collective enterprises and social organizations can use to measure their economic and social impact. This project is bringing together researchers, enterprises, associations/ networks, and funders together to:
- Share knowledge and practices
- Define and test methods and indicators in variety of contexts
- Support enterprises who are seeking to evaluate their impact (through training)
The project began in Spring 2016 and is envisioned as a three year project. Since last summer, they have been developing a concept paper that will synthesize the current state of knowledge in this area by drawing on academic and grey literature in Quebec, Canada and internationally. The paper will identify the needs of the sector, key concepts, issues, and existing tools. This paper will set the stage for defining next steps that can address the challenges and obstacles identified. They plan to share these findings in a workshop in April 2017. Later stages of this project in 2017 to 2019 will involve the design and dissemination of a toolbox that will likely include guides, templates and other tools.
The project is led by Territoires innovants en économie sociale et solidaire (TIESS), which is an umbrella group in Quebec that supports the social economy through the sharing and dissemination of knowledge, practices, experience and research. TIESS is dedicated to strengthening social innovation in the province and is funded by Quebec’s Ministère de l'Économie, de la Science et de l'Innovation. The project is supported by a large number of partners including various universities, research centres and regional social economy networks.
The project is known as:
Impact et retombées des entreprises collectives et organisations sociales sur le développement des territoires: définir et transférer les outils de mesure
(Impacts and spinoffs of collective enterprises and social organizations in economic and social development: Definition and Dissemination of Measurement Tools)
Project Manager: Gabriel Salathé-Beaulieu