Support of social entrepreneurship in the Liberec region

The diploma thesis focuses on support for social entrepreneurship in the Liberec Region and on the role of the Liberec Regional Authority in shaping this support. The aim of the thesis is to describe the instruments the region uses to support social enterprises, to understand the motivations of regional actors behind their selection, and to examine how social enterprises perceive the impacts of these instruments on their development and stability. The research is designed as a qualitative case study and draws on an analysis of primarily regional strategic documents, a semi-structured group interview with representatives of the Regional Authority, the Regional Development Agency and SPoint, and a secondary analysis of the results of a questionnaire survey among social enterprises in the Liberec Region. The findings indicate that the region primarily chooses non-financial and indirect support instruments, motivated by an effort to strengthen the capacities and legitimacy of social enterprises through more stable demand rather than across-the-board subsidies. Social enterprises perceive this support as beneficial mainly in terms of raising awareness of social entrepreneurship, building contacts, and opening access to new contracts. The effects on their economic stability appear to be indirect and...