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Conceptualizing Work Integration Social Enterprises under International Human Rights Law
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2021
Abstract
This article outlines one form Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) can take under international human rights law. It builds on the conviction that social enterprises, and WISEs more specifically, are compatible with the foundations and principles human rights are built on. However, there is a lack of engagement with social enterprises generally, in international human rights law. Building on the characteristics of WISEs and substantive equality theories, it is suggested that they can be conceptualized under the heading of affirmative measures. It is expected that this conceptualization can provide a starting point for increasing the visibility of the sector, while simultaneously ensuring its compliance with human rights standards, most notably under the human right to work. The article further points out WISEs and social enterprises’ potential more generally, illustrating how businesses can position themselves as active agents contributing to the realization of human rights.
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- Scholarly Article
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- © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press
Footnotes
¶
Conflicts of interest: The author declares none.
*
Centre for Disability Law and Policy, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland.
‡
Sarah Hofmayer is a PhD candidate and Irish Research Council scholarship holder at the National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway. Her thesis is a comparative study of how social enterprises can further inclusive employment, as set out by the CRPD. She holds a law degree from the University of Vienna and an LL.M. in Disability Law and Policy from NUI Galway. This research and publication has not received any funding but was, however, carried out as part of Sarah Hofmayer’s PhD under an Irish Research Council and Hardiman scholarship. s.hofmayer@nuigalway.ie
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144 It has to be added at this point that what is considered transformative in this context does not necessarily constitute transformative change for everyone. This term, just like ‘affirmative’, is loaded with meanings and context specific. Nancy Fraser for instance distinguishes between affirmative measures (corrective measures, not entailing system change) and transformative measures (addressing the underlying system), which does not mirror the human rights terminology entirely (Nancy Fraser, Scales of Justice: Reimagining Political Space in a Globalizing World (Colombia: Colombia University Press, 2008). It has to be noted that many WISEs are not in a position to redress the underlying structures consistently and while aware of them, work on a small scale, creating what Holloway (note 143) calls a ‘crack’ in the system, counting on a snowball effect creating further opportunities. Improving the situation for those excluded from opportunities, in line with Fraser’s affirmative dimension, does not mean they are not aware of the wider societal issues, as the author of this article has repeatedly observed during field work.
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148 Defourny and Nyssens, note 1.
149 Davister et al, note 32.
150 In the Irish context see for instance Mary O’Shaugnessy and Patricia O’Hara, ‘Social Enterprise in Ireland – Why Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) Dominate the Discourse’ (2016) 7:4 Nonprofit Policy Forum 461.
151 Ibid.
152 CERD/C/GC/32, note 127, para 36.
153 Arbeitsmarktservice (AMS), ‘Bundesrichtlinie für die Förderung Sozialökonomischer Betriebe (SÖB)’, BGS/AMF/0722/9950/2017, AMF/12-2017 (1 July 2018).
154 Davister et al, note 32.
155 For a detailed discussion of sheltered workshops, the prevalent version of this type, under human rights law, see Charlotte May-Simera, ‘Reconsidering Sheltered Workshops in the Light of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006)’ (2018) 7:6 Laws.
156 Cornelius et al, note 11.
157 Muhammad Yunus, ‘Social Business Entrepreneurs are the Solution’ in Nicholls, note 141, 43.
158 See for instance Littlewood and Holt, note 80.
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