In this ninth and final episode of Season 2 of The Social Economist, our third mini-series concludes! We’re excited to be talking about the topic of social procurement and the work of SEUK who’ve been working in this area for many years. This concludes a deep-dive into this important area which offers a great number of opportunities for both social enterprises but also conventional firms and corporate buyers. 

In this third episode of this mini-series, host Toby Gazeley from ⁠⁠Euclid Network⁠⁠ is joined by Andy Daly from⁠ SEUK to hear about how their focus on social procurement developed, what it involves and their ambitions for the future. 

Toby and Andy cover many of the key areas in procurement. Andy highlighted the importance of supply chains in impacting a company’s ESG footprint and the opportunity that engaging in social procurement offers in going beyond a ‘do no harm’ principle towards having positive social impact. Procurement happens regardless and spending money at social enterprises therefore represents an opportunity for a win-win for companies and society. Andy also highlighted the importance of policy developments such as the Social Value Act for helping to also drive forward an interest in social procurement. The Buy Social Corporate Challenge was another area mentioned by Andy. This is a programme which has been running since 2016 and has the ambitious goal of seeing 1 Billion GBP spent as social enterprises through corporate procurement. 

Andy was happy to share a fun recommendation of a podcast to check out. This was Song Exploder, a podcast breaking down songs with members of the band which made them. Toby also shared yet another politics related podcast - we can see a theme - which was Page 94, the Private Eye Podcast. This is one of the more lighthearted politics podcasts he likes to listen to.

Please do get in touch with any questions or feedback at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

A special thanks to Jan Kiszowara at Euclid Network who produces this podcast and the European Commission for making this all possible. 

Our theme music is 'another twelve' by Mikel Patrick Avery at Music for Podcasts.

In this eighth episode of Season 2 of The Social Economist, our third mini-series continues! We’re excited to be talking about the topic of social procurement - specifically about what can be done to put social procurement into practice in the context of a local government. 

In this second episode of this mini-series, host Toby Gazeley from ⁠⁠Euclid Network⁠⁠ is joined by Rein Douma from⁠ the Municipality of The Hague in the Netherlands to understand how social enterprises are being engaged through procurement. 

Toby and Rein cover many of the key areas, discussing the various dimensions of social procurement as well as the potential for social procurement to provide work integration opportunities in a local context. Rein highlighted the importance of collaboration between different departments in local authorities, understanding the trade-offs in prioritising different outcomes. Rein also noted the importance of building the capacity of social enterprises and the need to look well into the future to prepare the ecosystem and procurement opportunities in tandem to ensure maximum impact. 

Social Return in the Netherlands was also highlighted as a significant policy as well as various Acts on public procurement, such as Procurement Act 2.82. Rein also highlighted the benefit of local networks of social entrepreneurs for supporting the roll-out of social procurement. In this case, this is Social Club Den Haag. 

Rein was happy to share two sports podcasts for our listeners, a new type of recommendation for us! These were Bureau Sport, a Dutch Language Podcast coming out every Monday morning. He also recommended That Peter Crouch Podcast, one which Toby was also excited to try out. Toby also shared, as always, a political podcast recommendation: Politico’s Powerplay podcast.

Please do get in touch with any questions or feedback at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

A special thanks to Jan Kiszowara at Euclid Network who produces this podcast and the European Commission for making this all possible. 

Our theme music is 'another twelve' by Mikel Patrick Avery at Music for Podcasts.

In this seventh episode of Season 2 of The Social Economist, our third mini-series begins! We’re excited to be talking about the topic of social procurement - something discussed a great deal at the moment as a big opportunity for social enterprises. What does it mean, who does it involve and what are the opportunities social procurement could bring? These are all topics delved into in this third and last mini-series of season 2.  

In this first episode of this mini-series, host Toby Gazeley from ⁠⁠Euclid Network⁠⁠ is joined by Hina West from⁠ People and Planet First verification, part of the Social Enterprise World Forum, to discuss the transformative potential of procuring more from social enterprise. 

Toby and Hina cover many of the key areas of work related to social procurement, highlighting the importance of verification schemes for facilitating the identification of social enterprises and the value of working with a cross-border approach. 

Hina was happy to share a highly relevant podcast recommendation from her community: My Green Future, a podcast about the skyrocketing demand for people with green skills and the increase in employment in sustainability. Toby also shared a one of his favourite UK politics podcasts, Politics at Jack and Sam’s. 

Please do get in touch with any questions or feedback at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

A special thanks to Jan Kiszowara at Euclid Network who produces this podcast and the European Commission for making this all possible. 

Our theme music is 'another twelve' by Mikel Patrick Avery at Music for Podcasts.

In this sixth episode of Season 2 of The Social Economist, our second mini-series concludes! After hearing about the European ⁠Council Recommendation to improve social economy framework conditions and how Germany has been making progress in the development and implementation of their new strategy, in this episode we were delighted to hear from Scotland’s experience. Since 2016, Scotland - both from public authorities and ecosystem stakeholders - has been working to support social enterprises through the implementation of a 10 year strategy. As EU Member States start to develop or reflect on their policies to support social enterprises, perhaps looking to Scotland could provide some inspiration of guidance.  

In this third episode of this mini-series, host Toby Gazeley from ⁠⁠Euclid Network⁠⁠ is joined by Martin Avila, CEO of Community Enterprise in Scotland. Toby and Martin delve into the Scottish strategy, understanding its history and some of its key areas of focus. Martin highlighted the importance of the consistent political support for social enterprises in Scotland over more than the last decade as well as some of the challenges they’ve experienced. Martin also highlighted some of the topics of the upcoming review of the 10 year strategy and what this should look like post-2026. Even though Scotland has a lot of experience in designing tailored policies for social enterprises, the discussions around integrated vs sectoral approaches or where social enterprises should sit within government structures are reminiscent of countries all around Europe. 

Martin recommended perhaps the best podcast available at the moment: our very own The Social Economist, although he did seem to forget the name at one point. Toby was happy to share an additional recommendation for those looking to broaden their podcast listening: The D-Con Chamber. 

Please do get in touch with any questions or feedback at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠.

A special thanks to Jan Kiszowara at Euclid Network who produces this podcast and the European Commission for making this all possible. 

Our theme music is 'another twelve' by Mikel Patrick Avery at Music for Podcasts.

In this fifth episode of Season 2 of The Social Economist, our second mini-series continues! Following on from our focus on the European ⁠Council Recommendation to improve social economy framework conditions, we’re excited to be taking a closer look at the exciting strategy adopted in Germany in 2022. This interview was however recorded before the recent political changes in Germany leading to an early election in 2025. 

In this second episode of this mini-series, host Toby Gazeley from ⁠⁠Euclid Network⁠⁠ is joined by Jessamine Davis from⁠ the Social Entrepreneurship Network of Germany (SEND.ev) to understand how the new national strategy has been developed, what has led to its adoption and what it should mean for social enterprises. 

Toby and Jess cover many of the key areas in the German strategy. Jess highlighted the importance of the German Social Enterprise Monitor (DSEM), part of the European Social Enterprise Monitor project (ESEM), for raising awareness and understanding of social enterprise as well as establishing an agreed definition for social enterprise. Jess also highlighted the importance of champions within the government for supporting social entrepreneurship as well as several key support measures including opening new investment opportunities for social enterprises, developing a platform for social innovation and opening up procurement opportunities. 

Jess was happy to share three diverse recommendations for podcasts to check out. This included a German language podcast, Lage der Nation, as well as two in English: Oh God, What Now?; and The Blindboy Podcast. Toby also shared a light hearted recommendation (again), Enemy in Paris, as well as a current events podcast: the Political Fourcast.  

Please do get in touch with any questions or feedback at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

A special thanks to Jan Kiszowara at Euclid Network who produces this podcast and the European Commission for making this all possible. 

Our theme music is 'another twelve' by Mikel Patrick Avery at Music for Podcasts.

In this fourth episode of Season 2 of The Social Economist, our second mini-series begins! This kicks off a three episode deep-dive into the EU's recent ⁠Council Recommendation to improve social economy framework conditions⁠ and national strategies to support social enterprises.

In this first episode of this mini-series, host Toby Gazeley from ⁠⁠Euclid Network⁠⁠ is joined by Miia Rossi-Gray from ⁠DG EMPL in the European Commission⁠ to dive into the EU's Council Recommendation, unpicking what this EU policy initiative means for social economy stakeholders across Europe.

Toby and Miia cover many of the key areas in the Recommendation. Miia mentions some of the recent national developments you might want to check out, including Ireland’s new social enterprise policy: ⁠Trading for Impact⁠, which has an implementation window from 2024-2027. Miia also noted the use of the ⁠Technical Support Instrument⁠ to support Member States to work together to support the development of social enterprises. The Council Recommendation is just one element of the ⁠Social Economy Action Plan⁠ and is of course related to other European level initiatives, such as the proposal of a ⁠European Cross Border Associations Status⁠. One thing to remember, which Miia highlights, is that the Recommendation is just the beginning. 

Miia was happy to share two great recommendations for podcasts to check out, one more light hearted than the other. The first is '⁠Revisionist History⁠' and is maybe the more academic of the two. The second is the '⁠Desert Island Disks⁠', a podcast which Toby also enjoys very much. Toby also shared a light hearted recommendation: '⁠The Rest is Entertainment⁠'.

Please do get in touch with any questions or feedback at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

A special thanks to Jan Kiszowara at Euclid Network who produces this podcast and the European Commission for making this all possible.

Our theme music is 'another twelve' by Mikel Patrick Avery at Music for Podcasts.

In this third and final episode on digitalisation, host Toby Gazeley from ⁠Euclid Network⁠ is joined by Gustavs Upmanis from Visas Iespējas to find out how digital tools are being put to work in social enterprises. Together they discuss Gustavs work on creating 'a dating app for employment'. Through MatchWork, Gustavs and the team aim to remove barriers experienced by both employers and aspiring employees in the job hunt, perhaps making it a more enjoyable and easy experience.

Beyond MatchWork, they discuss the impact digital tools have had on social enterprises. This ranges from the impact models that can be built on digital tools all the way to the fundamental change digitalisation has had on marketing, sales and hiring. The opportunity presented by digital tools may be large but so too are challenges such as affordability, access to public support programmes and the initial set up costs. Gustavs and Toby discuss some of their favourite tools they use in their own work including Copilot for Gustavs to help with coding and Todoist for Toby to help him not lose his paper to-do-list.

Gustavs was quick to recommend three of this favourite podcasts. These were: People I (Mostly) Admire; Re:Thinking; and The Anthropocene Reviewed. All interesting listens and slightly more academic than some of Toby's recommendations.

A special thanks to Jan Kiszowara at Euclid Network who produces this podcast and the European Commission for making this all possible.

Our theme music is 'another twelve' by Mikel Patrick Avery at Music for Podcasts.

In this second episode on digitalisation, host Toby Gazeley from Euclid Network dives into one of the hottest topics of the day: artificial intelligence (AI). Toby is of course not alone and is joined by John Logue, CEO of Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland (SERI). SERI is working on becoming Ireland's first AI-enabled social enterprise representative body. Supported by Liam McSherry, their Engineer-in-Residence, they already have two interesting new applications for AI they're using to support social enterprises in Ireland.

Tune in to listen to SERI's work with AI, to hear about its potential application and about the challenges along the way. Perhaps there's a way to learn from this first example, sharing lessons across ecosystems in Europe.

This podcast contains many recommendations for further listening, some new and some old. John was quick to recommend: The Rest is History; The Rest is Politics; The Entrepreneur Experiment; and the Tim Ferris Show. Toby also had a couple of recommendations: Empire; and one less academic listen, Enemy in Paris.

A special thanks to Jan Kiszowara at Euclid Network who produces this podcast and the European Commission for making this all possible.

Our theme music is 'another twelve' by Mikel Patrick Avery at Music for Podcasts.

Digitalisation, one of the biggest transformations of this decade. But what does it mean? And what is the European Commission doing to support social enterprises through this tumultuous time? Tune into the first episode of the second season of The Social Economist where host Toby Gazeley is joined again by Karel Vanderpoorten from the European Commission (DG GROW). Together they discuss recent policies and trends shaping and supporting the social economy through the digital transition. This is the first in a three part mini-series on this topic.

No episode would be complete without podcast recommendations! Karel recommended: Wij, Europeanen a Flemish podcast all about the EU. Toby also shared his recommendation: The Newsagents USA, a podcast all about American politics and currently with a specific focus on the upcoming Presidential Election. 

A special thanks to Jan Kiszowara at Euclid Network who produces this podcast and the European Commission for making it all possible.

Our theme is 'another twelve' by Mikel Patrick Avery at Music for Podcasts.

After the end of a mixed European summer, attention is now starting to focus on the European Elections taking place in June 2024! Join host Toby Gazeley on this episode of The Social Economist to hear why these European Elections are so crucial and why they matter for the social economy. Toby of course doesn't attempt this task alone and is joined by his co-host Marcela Neves from Euclid Network and a special guest, Malo Bourel from ImpactFrance.

European politics isn't always the most well understood topic and sometimes people may find it not even the most interesting. But now, at the end of 2023 as Europe moves towards the next European Elections, there's more on the ballot for the social economy than ever before. The implementation of the Social Economy Action Plan, the achievement of the Green Deal and the delivery of an inclusive European economy of tomorrow are all at stake. Malo takes us through the work ImpactFrance are doing to bring together the ecosystem to raise the voice of impact driven companies to make sure these current plans are delivered. You want to get involved in this impact movement? Reach out to Malo at: [email protected].

Of course at The Social Economist, we wouldn't want to leave you without podcast recommendations! Malo has a recommendation for our French speaking listeners: Greenletter Club. Marcela also had another suggestion for our English speaking listeners: ⁠Drum Tower. Toby also shared one podcast he's been getting into recently and if you're a fan of the US version of the Office, you may love it too: Office Ladies.

Enjoying hearing the updates on social economy in Europe? Not sure what all these recent developments really mean? Get in touch with the podcast team by emailing ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

A special thanks to Jan Kiszowara at Euclid Network who produces this podcast.

Our theme is 'another twelve' by Mikel Patrick Avery at Music For Podcasts.