농촌지역 사회적기업의 발전을 위한 지원 및 제도 개선 방안

Abstract

농촌지역 인구의 과소화 및 고령화, 경제력 저하, 기초적인 사회서비스 부족으로 우리 농촌은 해체 위기에 처해 있다. 농촌지역사회의 문제를 해결하기 위한 다양한 농촌개발 정책들이 추진되고 있으며, 지역을 활성화시키기 위한 하나의 대안으로 사회적기업에 대한 관심이 높아지고, 정부의 적극적 육성정책과 새로운 활로를 모색하고자 하는 지역민들의 노력이 만나면서 여러 영역에서 사회적기업이 생겨나고 있다. 사회적기업이 가지는 태생적인 한계에 더하여 농촌지역의 사회적기업은 가용 자원의 부족, 기업운영 역량 부족, 투자자본의 부족 등 많은 어려움을 가지고 있다. 2년차인 연구에서는 농촌지역 사회적기업에 대한 유형화와 유형별 차별적 정책의 필요성 및 방안, 농촌지역 사회적기업에 대한 중간지원조직 육성과 네트워크 방안, 농촌지역의 사회적기업에 대한 실질 조사를 통해 업종별 사업모델 모색, 농촌지역 사회적기업 지원제도 분석과 개선방안 및 육성방안을 제시하고자 한다. 이 보고서는 농촌지역 사회적기업의 발전을 위한 지원 및 제도개선 방안을 제시하는 제4세부과제의 결과물이다.

This is the second year report of the two-year collaborative research entitled 'A study on alternatives promoting social enterprises for re-vitalizing rural areas and creating jobs in rural areas. This study consists of four sub-research subjects and this is the fourth subject above mentioned. Government has implemented various policies for promoting vitalization of rural areas. However, rural areas have collapsed due to the decrease of rural population and economic status, and the deficit of fundamental social services. Big businesses, which got benefit from opening market, cling to the pursuit of their profit maximization and close eyes on social responsibility. Recently, several departments of government are implementing various community development policies. Interests about the social enterprise as a third alternative have been escalated for the betterment of structural retardation of rural areas, community vitalization, and the increase of people's quality of life. In particular, social enterprise promotion policy of the Ministry of Employment and Labor(MOEL) focused on job creation added "the type of community contribution" to it's policy purpose. According to this addition, social enterprise will contribute to the development of rural community. However, similar policies propelled by several Ministries such as the promotion of village corporation, community business, and farming and fishing community corporation resulted in the problems of efficiency, complexity, and moral hazard of latent beneficiaries. The purposes of this study are to depict the problems of the promotion policy of social enterprise, to find out policy amendment directions, and to suggest alternatives promoting social enterprise in rural areas. We found out several problems which are needed to be amended in order to promote social enterprise in rural areas. Included are as follows: MOEL's monopolistic certification system, inefficiency resulted from overlapping similar policies, ignorance of social economic conditions, the shortage of the diversity of supports, the ignorance of spacial distribution, the unsystematic intermediary support organizations, diffused implementation system, and the lower policy capacity of local governments. We suggested several alternatives to amend the policy system. Included are fostering project localization, applying different and various policy approaches to rural social enterprises, admitting general use of the name of 'social enterprise', preparing the second stage support system, differentiating supports from the business types and locations of social enterprises, depicting more social purposes, strengthening security and function of intermediary organizations and the establishment of their legal foundation, and establishing independent institution for social enterprise. We also develop some alternatives for developing social enterprises in rural areas. Included are as follows: national and regional networking and combing regional resources, affirmative market for social enterprises, establishment of special investment funds for rural social enterprises, the expansion of partnership between general businesses and social enterprises, the establishment of advertising system, and the establishment of supporting system for education, consulting, and technology development. These alternatives are focused on the development of social enterprises in rural areas.

Researchers: Lee, Gyu-Cheon; Chang-Ho Kim E-mail address: gclee@krei.re.kr