The last decade, especially the recent economic, ecological and social changes, have made it clear that the task of all growth actors is not only to take care of the economic interest, but also - and perhaps above all - the social aspect that may allow the protection of social values (in existential) even in the most unpredictable situations. Social economy, solidarity economy and social innovation are terms that have gained importance over the last decade and are of interest to both theoreticians and management practitioners. In the Polish scientific literature, the above-mentioned concepts are still - in the opinion of the authors - not sufficiently researched, therefore an attempt was made to analyze the Polish literature in this area, but - which is worth emphasizing - in a fundamental, fundamental aspect, in order to undertake a broader discussion on this topic. conceptual field by a wider group of researchers.