The model of the Economy for the Common Good. An empirical study on its application to enterprise

Abstract

The Economy for the Common Good is an economic model that was born in 2010 in Austria by the professor of economics and activist Christian Felber in order to measure the contribution to the common good by the economy and organizations. After 10 years of implementation in a large number of companies, in the present work an empirical study is carried out on the profile of the companies that have implemented it and on the success of its implementation in Spain and its comparison with other European countries. For this purpose, a fieldwork is carried out consisting of sending a questionnaire and subsequent exploitation to a sample of companies that have implemented the Balance of the Common Good during the period between 2011 and 2017. The profile of the companies in relation to the sector and economic activity, the size (number of workers and turnover figure) and seniority, demonstrating that they are mostly companies in the services sector (professional services), microenterprises (of less than 10 workers) and relatively young (from less than 15 years of existence). The level of implementation of the model is also studied through the score obtained in the Matrix of the Common Good (experienced companies) and the type of audit carried out on the Balance (internal, peer and external); as well as the social, environmental and economic impact of the companies that are implementing the model. It shows that these are companies with a strong social and environmental conscience, which use the Balance of the Common Good in order to reinforce the creation of these values, relegating the creation of economic and financial value to the background.