Exploring the statistical measurement of the social economy: findings from Poland

This article analyses the development of research on the social economy within the framework of official statistics. Using a single case study methodology, the factors influencing the development of research on the social economy were examined using Statistics Poland as an example. The study identifies three key factors: the dynamic and multifaceted nature of the social economy, internal factors related to the activity of public organisations, and external factors related to an institutional environment. The article emphasises the importance of statistical offices in this process and indicates that the launch and development of research within their structures depend both on the internal institutional processes to which they are subject as public institutions and on external pressure resulting from isomorphic processes. Despite the limitations imposed by the single-case methodology, the findings offer valuable insights for the conditioning of measurement of the social economy in national statistical offices.