11. L’économie sociale et solidaire : le renouveau d’un idéal ?

The social economy, instead of hunting for the profit maximization, is based upon the human, its blossoming and its well-being. Its history began in the early xixth century in a breach with the wild industrial capitalism. It has now acquired importance, diversity, and dynamism, ever favouring the human well-being, with different means. Nevertheless, the employment in the social economy firmsis less remunerated and more unstable than jobs in the rest of the economy, but with a better satisfaction at work. Today, the social economy experiences a movement of mercantile standardization, sometimes stifled by its compromises with the State and the market. Eventually the convergence of multiple crisis in Europe leads today the economy to a social entrepreneurial revival.