Building Sustainable Social Economy & Social-Ecological Systems for Inclusive Futures
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 209
Special Issue Editors
Interests: socially responsible consumption; fashion sustainability
Special Issue Information
Dear colleagues,
I would like to invite you to contribute to our Special Issue, titled “Building Sustainable Social Economy & Social-Ecological Systems for Inclusive Futures”. The purpose of this Special Issue is to advance scholarly understanding of how social economy organizations and social-ecological systems contribute to building more sustainable, equitable, and resilient societies. As global challenges such as climate change, social enterprises, cooperatives, nonprofit organizations, public–private partnerships, and hybrid mission-driven ventures are increasingly recognized as critical actors in shaping sustainable development pathways.
This Special Issue seeks interdisciplinary research that examines the following:
- How social-ecological systems are formed, strengthened, and sustained across local, regional, and global contexts.
- The role of digital innovation, governance, and community participation in shaping the social economy.
- Mechanisms through which social enterprises generate environmental, social, and economic value, and how they balance mission and financial sustainability.
- Collaborations among public, private, nonprofit, and grassroots organizations that drive systemic social innovation.
- Metrics, frameworks, and methodological approaches for assessing the long-term sustainability and impact of social economy actors.
The Special Issue welcomes conceptual, empirical, theoretical, and case-based studies from fields including—but not limited to—business, public administration, economics, community development, sustainability studies, tourism, nonprofit management, social policy, and innovation studies.
The overarching goal is to bring together cutting-edge scholarship that deepens our understanding of sustainable social economy models and illuminates how social-ecological systems can be designed to support meaningful social change. By integrating diverse perspectives, this Special Issue aims to offer valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to strengthen social impact and promote sustainable community development worldwide.
Prof. Dr. Min-Young Lee
Dr. Muzhen Li
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- social-ecological systems
- sustainable development
- sustainability transitions
- social innovation
- community development
- social value creation
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