New hybrid organizations in the social and solidarity economy in France: A new cooperative governance?

This chapter investigates different new hybrid organizations like the public-private partnership in the social and solidarity economy. Different innovations are shaking the traditional borders between the economic actors, the public, the private, the profit and non-profit sectors. New form of firms emerges with several shareholders and mixed economic structure. A financial mechanism, the Social Impact Bonds, is also supported by French public authorities. New hybrid forms of innovation like Living Labs are defined as user-centered, open innovation ecosystems based on systematic user co-creation approach, where different partners (public, private…) cocreate a common solution and common value. These different forms share as common aim the general interest and better social results. The issue of governance is central to guarantee the general interest and the Commons, namely having rules and actors governing the commons together with democratic and shared participation. Thanks to a clearly shared and collaborative (Ostrom, 1990) governance, these new hybrid forms also allow for a better stimulation of the economic, social and territorial dimensions within the innovation framework. We define a new cooperative mode of governance, which completes the hybrid arrangements typology of Oliver Williamson (1991). The Living Lab example is in the line of Elinor Ostrom; it allows going beyond the tragedy of the commons. The individual interest hands over to common value. The emerging governance model is based on citizens’ involvement and guarantees success and protection of the commons