Gemdev
| CIRIEC |
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 Policy Briefs are based on CIRIEC publications such as Working Papers, books and reports. They provide a summary and highlight the key points of the publication, tailored for enterprise managers and practitioners. Policy Brief N°4 – 18 December 2025 based on the Working Paper 2025/6 IS NOW OUT DIGITALIZATION OF SSE: MUTUALDATA AS AN INNOVATIVE TOOL FOR IMPACT MEASUREMENT AND TRANSPARENCY IN THE PORTUGUESE MUTUAL SECTOR Cátia COHEN, Rui COSTA & Vanessa PALMA Mutual associations are critical providers of healthcare, welfare and social services, yet their contribution remains underrepresented due to fragmented and non-comparable data. This lack of structured information limits transparency, weakens institutional recognition and constrains evidence-based policymaking. MutualData addresses this gap by offering a digital, standardised and participatory data infrastructure for the mutualist sector. It enables consistent impact measurement, strengthens organisational governance, and supports public authorities with reliable sector-wide insights. Preliminary results confirm that digital data collection is feasible and relevant, even in a traditionally low-digitalised sector. As a replicable policy tool aligned with EU Social Economy priorities, MutualData supports better policy design, monitoring and dialogue between mutuals and public institutions. 🎯 Key takeaways: Mutuals are vital but lack statistical visibility Fragmented data limits transparency and policy impact MutualData standardises and digitalises sector data Early results confirm feasibility and relevance A replicable tool for stronger SSE governance 📄 Read the Policy brief 📄 Read the Working paper |