ABSTRACT
The interest in social entrepreneurship and social enterprises has spread around the world like a driving wind during the last decades. The Nordic countries represent an interesting case of the history and development of social entrepreneurship and social enterprises. Salamon and Anheier adopted a similar approach in their social origins theory of the development of the non-profit sector in different types of countries. Salamon and Anheier (1998) adopted a similar approach in their social origins theory of the development of the non-profit sector in different types of countries. They argued that in the social democratic model: State-sponsored and state-delivered social welfare protections are quite extensive and the room left for service-providing non-profit organizations quite constrained. The strong structures supporting a market-based economy as well as a tax-funded (social) public sector have been exposed to challenges during the latter part of twentieth century.
