TY - BOOK AU - Mertens,Sybille AU - Marée,Michel TI - Where to place the associations? The issue of porous boundaries PY - 2015///. N1 - 3 N2 - In this article we explore the principal conceptual approaches which have addressed the phenomenon of associations over the last two decades : the non-profit making sector, the social work economy, social enterprises and entrepreneurial social action. Our analysis leads first of all to the observation that these approaches change over time: they reflect the practices in force and in return legitimise these practices. This analysis also permits us to note how these changes produce a blurring of the boundaries, as the boundaries between the categories of economic players become progressively less marked. This blurring is to the disadvantage of an a priori recognition of the particular character of each type of organisation, including the recognition of those of associations UR - https://shs.cairn.info/journal-les-politiques-sociales-2015-1-page-17?lang=en ER -