Barriers to the Development of the Operations of Social Enterprises in the Czech Republic

Social entrepreneurship is characterised by a high degree of creativity and innovation, not only in technical terms but also in managerial and social terms. The contribution of social enterprises to national economy consists mainly in the combination three types of benefits - economic, social and environmental. Social enterprises are becoming a strong and effective instrument of public administration and local governments in fighting against social exclusion, and they help address unemployment in specific groups of people in the labour market. Social entrepreneurship is a relatively young sector. The Act on social entrepreneurship is undergoing a drafting process. One of the barriers for social entrepreneurship is the absence of this act, which is already applied in some other countries. This paper aims to identify the main barriers to the operations of social enterprises on the basis of a questionnaire survey conducted in social enterprises. The paper should thus contribute to the debate about social entrepreneurship and employment of disadvantaged people in the labour market in the Czech Republic.