CHALLENGES AND SUPPORT POLICIES FOR SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN BULGARIA

The concept of social entrepreneurship is relatively new, both as a theory and as a practice, and is entirely determined by the economic and cultural challenges in Bulgaria. The promotion of innovative ideas in public policy plays a crucial role in supporting the values of an active-oriented problem-solving social system. These views are fundamental to the ongoing social reforms in Bulgaria and focus on the development of social entrepreneurship and policies that support social enterprises. The purpose of this article is to explore and identify the challenges and policies for social enterprises and social entrepreneurship in Bulgaria and their sustainable development. This research presents the results of a pilot study held in Bulgaria under the SESBA Project - Social Enterprise Skills for Business advisors. The field studies were carried out on the basis of primary and secondary data. The collection of the primary data included a questionnaire survey to collect information by using a face- to-face interview. The secondary data were extracted from official data, reports and official websites, etc. The challenges for Bulgaria regarding the development of social enterprises can be formulated as follows: need for sectoral reforms, opportunities for capacity building, opportunities for startup funding available and prioritizing a target group.