Organizações de economia social: o que as distingue e como podem ser sustentáveis

This paper starts with a critical analysis of the concept of “non profit organizations” as has been proposed by the Center for Civil Society Studies of the John Hopkins University and of the concept of “social economy sector” as has been proposed by CIRIEC. An alternative concept of social economy organizations is proposed based on an economic definition of their outputs and inputs. This definition is expanded by identifying the economic specificities of these organizations relevant for their sustainability. In the last part of the paper several factors that may contribute to that sustainability are reviewed.