Social economy is the applied field of intervention aiming to increase the social inclusion of the people from the vulnerable groups; this calls for an efficient relocation of the social economy sector among the social policies in Europe. Within the context of the current prolonged economic crisis, it becomes obvious that the identification, evaluation and valorisation of the best practices in the field of social economy is an action which ensures the promotion and the conceptual and theoretical consolidation of the aspects specific to this form of economy. This article presents the main aspects regarding the acknowledgement and definition of the social economy, the perspectives of this sector considering the economic crisis, as well as several initiatives and methodologies to evaluate the good practices in this field of activity. The article highlights the importance of capitalising on the practical aspects of the previous positive experiences in the field of social economy, when planning the process of social innovation at the European level.