Abstract of the speech

Gerold Schwarz

My presentation will start with a brief background on social firms in Germany, how they have developed and in which legal and organizational frameworks they operate. I will then describe how social firms have established support networks and partnership on the local, regional and national level in Germany and what impact those had on the rapid growth of social firms. In the last part I will focus on what are the main factors that contribute to the long-term sustainability of social firms in Germany. The presentation will conclude with an outlook on latest trends in social firm development in Germany and a summary on what are transferable lessons learned from the German experience.