This book provides a new interpretation of social enterprises as entrepreneurial organizations that pursue social objectives and are successful due to the non-self-seeking motives of their members.

Introduction Leonardo Becchetti and Carlo and Carlo Borzaga 1. The economics of social enterprises: an interpretive framework Carlo Borzaga and Ermanno Tortia 2. The competitive advantages of social enterprises Sara Depedri 3. The impact of social enterprises on output, employment, and welfare Ermanno Tortia 4. From economic growth to sustainable development Leonardo Becchetti and Giuseppe Mastromatteo 5. The provision of welfare and general-interest services Luca Fazzi 6. Social enterprises and the integration of disadvantaged workers Giulia Galera 7. The fair-trade debate and its underpinnings Leonardo Becchetti 8. An empirical test of fair trade Leonardo Becchetti and Marco Costantino 9. Microfinance: a frontier social enterprise Leonardo Becchetti 10. Only the fittest survive? A test of the sustainability of corporate social responsibility Leonardo Becchetti and Rocco Ciciretti