The Portuguese law on social economy
This study is a reflection on the Portuguese Framework Law on Social Economy, highlighting, from a critical point-of-view, its contribution to the explicit institutional and legal recognition of the social economy sector. It does so by defining the concept of social economy and listing the entities engaged in this sector, by defining its guiding principles and the mechanisms for its promotion and encouragement, and also by describing the creation of a tax and competition regime which will take into account its specificities. The setting up of this foundation of the social economy was based on the constitutional principle of protection of the social and co-operative sector, which substantiates the adoption of differentiating solutions in view of the positive discrimination of this sector.
The Social Economy in Portugal: legal regime and socio-economic characterization
The main objective of this article is to provide an updated portrait of the Social Economy sector in Portugal. For this purpose, we first analyse how in Portugal the concept of Social Economy has been defined and delimited, particularly by legal means. The difficulties in establishing clear and unquestionable boundaries are highlighted, as well as the observation of the concept from the diversity that composes it, both in terms of guiding principles and of groups of entities that integrate this sector. Subsequently, a quantitative portrait of the Portuguese Social Economy is drawn, with the most recent data, made public in 2019 and for 2016, as a source. These data result from work done by the National Statistics Institute (INE - Statistics Portugal) through the Social Economy Satellite Account. In addition to the main general indicators of the sector (number of units, gross value added, main activities, groups of entities, total and paid employment), a specific analysis by groups of entities is also carried out. By making use of Satellite Account to draw this picture, we aim to provide conceptually structured statistical information with a form and content that may facilitate its subsequent use in the context of broader studies, both diachronic analysis as well as international comparisons.
Same-Sex Marriage in the United States
This Chapter gives a brief analysis of the status of same-sex marriage in the United States prior to the US Supreme Court decisions of 2013 and the status of litigation and political reforms triggered in part by these court decisions. It shows that marriage is a central institution in the country’s rationale of family law in ways that separate it from other western countries that have allowed same-sex marriage.