The document presents an overview of the Balkan Women Coalition project aimed at supporting female entrepreneurship in the Balkans, highlighting the significance of addressing social problems and their impact on women. It outlines the stages of how social problems emerge, gain legitimacy, and the strategies communities use to advocate for change. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of measuring social impact and provides guidelines for effective social impact assessments.

1. Balkan Women Coalition vol. II
Social Start-Up Booster for Supporting Female Entrepreneurship in Balkans
(2020-1-EL01-KA204-078936)
Short Presentation of the Project
B-WCo II Kick-off Meeting

2. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Understanding social impact and social problems
• Terms
• Definitions
• Context

3. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Understanding social impact and social problems
SOCIAL PROBLEM
• social problems/issues/challenges/risks
• A social problem is any condition or behavior that has negative
consequences for large numbers of people and that is generally
recognized as a condition or behavior that needs to be addressed
Work in groups: What do you think is the most important social
problem facing your nation right now?

4. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Understanding social impact and social problems
 SOCIAL IMPACT
 SOCIAL PROBLEM
•

5. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Understanding social impact and social problems
• - SOCIAL PROBLEM

6. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Theoretical perspective on social problems
 Stage 1: Emergence and Claims Making
A social problem emerges when a social entity (such as a social change group, the
news media, or influential politicians) begins to call attention to a condition or
behavior that it perceives to be undesirable and in need of remedy. As part of this
process, it tries to influence public perceptions of the problem, the reasons for it,
and possible solutions to it.

7. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Theoretical perspective on social problems
• Stage 2: Legitimacy
Once a social group succeeds in turning a condition or behavior into a social
problem, it usually tries to persuade the government (local, state, and/or federal)
to take some action—spending and policymaking—to address the problem. o the
extent that the group succeeds in convincing the government of the legitimacy of
its claims, government action is that much more likely to occur.

8. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Theoretical perspective on social problems
• Stage 3: Renewed Claims Making
Even if government action does occur, social change groups often conclude that the
action is too limited in goals or scope to be able to successfully address the social
problem. If they reach this conclusion, they often decide to press their demands
anew.

9. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Theoretical perspective on social problems
• Stage 4: Development of Alternative Strategies
Despite the renewed claims making, social change groups often
conclude that the government and established interests are not
responding adequately to their claims. Although the groups may
continue to press their claims, they nonetheless realize that these
claims may fail to win an

10. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Social problems in practice
They key social problems occur are the following*:
 Health
 Children and young people
 Ageing
 Disability
 Housing
 Financial inclusion
 Population diversity and mobility
 Education and employment
https://www.csi.edu.au/research/our-research-focus/social-issues/ (AUSTRALIA)

11. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Women and social problems
UN Women:
“They are likely to be the last to eat, the ones least likely to access
healthcare, and routinely trapped in time-consuming, unpaid domestic
tasks. They have more limited options to work or build businesses.
Adequate education may lie out of reach. Some end up forced into
sexual exploitation as part of a basic struggle to survive.”
• Women, poverty and social exclusion
• The potential of women entrepreneurship

12. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
WHAT IS SOCIAL IMPACT?
Social impact is a term that's thrown around all over the place, but there's no one-size-fits-all definition
for it.
The definition of social impact means any significant or positive changes that solve or at least address
social injustice and challenges. Businesses or organizations achieve these goals through conscious and
deliberate efforts or activities in their operations and administrations.
Your social impact is given by the number of people whose lives you improve and how much you
improve them, over the long term.

13. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
WHAT IS SOCIAL IMPACT?
“Social impact” or “making a difference” is
(tentatively) about promoting total expected
wellbeing — considered impartially, over the
long term — without sacrificing anything that
might be of comparable moral importance.

14. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Types of Social Impacts
• Social enterprises can create social impacts in any way they can through the 17 Social Development Goals
(SDGs) set by the United Nations. These SDGs are set as a way for individuals, businesses, and organizations to
work together towards making a significant impact in the world.
 GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
 GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
 GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and
Production
 GOAL 13: Climate Action
 GOAL 14: Life Below Water
 GOAL 15: Life on Land
 GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
 GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
 GOAL 1: No Poverty
 GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
 GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
 GOAL 4: Quality Education
 GOAL 5: Gender Equality
 GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
 GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
 GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
 GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

15. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

16. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

17. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

18. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Types of Social Impacts
2030 Agenda seeks to strengthen the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable
development:
• People
• Planet
• Prosperity
• Peace
• Partnership

19. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Types of Social Impacts
No matter how small the effort is, social impact impacts everyone in many ways we may not realize.

20. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
How to measure Social Impact?
It can be pretty difficult to know how to do this, but here are some things to
consider when measuring yours:
 Sustainability
 Who benefits?
 How many people benefit?
 How do they benefit?

21. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
How to measure Social Impact?

22. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Elements of a good Social Impact Assessment
In the “Handbook for Social Impact Assessment”, author Predrag Bejaković brings ten key
points:
1. Ask the right questions
2. Identify stakeholders
3. Understand transmission channels
4. Assess institutions
5. Collect data and information
6. Analyze impacts
7. Consider opportunities for improvement and
compensation measures
8. Assess risks
9. Impact of monitoring and evaluation
10. Encourage discussion

23. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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