5.1 Summary

This doctoral thesis provides a general understanding of the role of law in promoting stakeholder participation in social enterprises. The foregoing assignment is not only based on theoretical grounds; it is also based on empirically derived evidence in various examined jurisdictions. In addition, this doctoral thesis is a socio-legal research study which considers duly the limitations and methodological rules applied in empirical legal research. The content of this doctoral thesis is dependent on quality evaluation processes and validity assessments.

In Chapter 2, this doctoral thesis introduces and a compares three tailor-made legal forms for social enterprises and their participatory governance structures, i.e. the VSO in Belgium, the Koinsep in Greece, and the CIC in the UK. Subsequently, it examines how the identified tailor-made national legal provisions concerning stakeholder participation are implemented in practice by nine social enterprises which employ the legal forms of the VSO, the Koinsep, and the CIC. The examination is accomplished by a comparison and a meta-synthesis of findings from nine qualitative case studies.

The doctoral thesis also extends the discussion concerning participatory governance structures in the Netherlands by discussing survey data collected from Dutch social enterprises regarding the participation and involvement of stakeholders in the governance of Dutch social enterprises.