ABSTRACT
From the beginning of the 1990s, the social economy began to be gradually recognised as a third sector, made up of co-operatives, mutuals and associations. In fact, however, its roots lie far back in the workers’ and peasants’ associations of the last century, and they have been growing throughout the twentieth century. The co-operative movement has long been present in the agricultural sector, in credit and insurance and in pharmaceutical distribution. Since the end of the Second World War, mutual societies have been heavily involved in the organisation of the national health insurance scheme and the provision of a variety of associated services. But it is the associations that have formed far the largest part of the Belgian social economy. Fairly recent statistical studies show that they account for around 305,000 paid jobs1 and that the volunteer work which they mobilise represents more than 100,000 full-time job equivalents. Belgium, along with Ireland and the Netherlands, is one of the countries in which the non-profit sector carries the most weight (Salamon, Anheier and Associates 1998).
