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This paper presents an overview of the landscape of Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISE) in Belgium. These enterprises have as a major objective to help poorly qualified unemployed people, who are at risk of permanent exclusion from the labor market, back into work and society in general through a productive activity. We analyze the process of these enterprises’ emergence and their gradual engagement within public policies frameworks. We investigate their objectives and potential benefits for excluded workers as well as the specific types of market and non-market resources used. We conclude by underlining the tension between institutionalization and autonomy experienced by these enterprises.