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The aim of this paper is to describe the main characteristics of het two most recognised models in Spain: worker cooperatives and worker-owned companies (Sociedades Laborales).

To this end, a review will be carried out of the main factors from the regulatory and financial framework and the support structures of these organisations model.

The main findings are the constant decrease in the number of SSLL over the past ten years and a certain decrease in the number of worker cooperatives. Some of the reasons put forward for this decline are the lack of effective favourable tax treatment; the establishment of more favourable measures for capitalist companies; the change of the single payment of unemployment benefits; the lack of knowledge and training professionals and politicians.

The main contribution of this paper is to provide a recent analysis of the regulatory changes and developments in the field of worker cooperatives and worker-owned companies in Spain.

There is an increasing interest in the literature for the characteristics of the entrepreneurial ecosystems and the impacts caused by their activities. Silicon Valley or Israel is widely known as the main entrepreneurial ecosystems, but there are a lot of different cities and countries which are performing a great effort to become a worldwide reference in entrepreneurship. The purpose of this work is to analyze the Spanish and the Portuguese entrepreneurial ecosystems and identify strengths and challenges. The basic characteristics of both countries will be introduced, as well as the relevant points regarding policies for fostering entrepreneurship, tax benefits to entrepreneurial activities, special considerations for social enterprises, investors support and the main challenges faced by each country.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze drivers for the proactive disclosure of information via the web in Colombian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as a strategy for fostering their legitimacy and responding to the institutional pressure to which they are subjected.

The web sites of 196 NGOs from Colombia have been analyzed, first, via an Online Transparency Index that is consistent with Cronbach α coefficient and later, by performing a Tobit regression analysis.

The proactive online disclosure of information in Colombian NGOs is very low. In spite of the high distrust of the resource management they receive, the financial information is the least aspect disclosed in their web pages. In addition, the larger NGOs are the entities that most disclose information via their web site. Likewise, the factors of “internationalization”, “donations”, “community services” and “dependence on voluntary work” show a positive effect on certain aspects of the online disclosure of information analyzed.

The lack of web use as a strategy for a proactive disclosure of information is clearly observed. Therefore, both obligatory and voluntary accountability mechanisms should be more aware of the need for fostering the benefits of a web site, as being transparent in a proactive manner will increase trust in this sector.

As the majority of the research papers related to online disclosure are focused on the corporate and public sector, this study addresses the issue of the NGO sector and particularly aims to contribute to the scarce literature regarding web use of entities from developing countries.

The public healthcare system faces challenges and limitations regarding the supply and delivery of healthcare services. The private healthcare system is expensive and only affordable for some. Due to the increasing population, developing countries face a greater degree of demand–supply mismatch. The existing healthcare services in developing countries need to be more sustainable due to high out-of-pocket expenditures and low-income levels. The research design used in this chapter is a case study approach based on qualitative data. The study focuses on two objectives: (1) to have a detailed understanding of the nature of healthcare cooperatives in Spain and their contribution to meeting healthcare requirements; and (2) to make suggestions and recommendations for an improved and sustainable healthcare cooperative for developing countries. Inspired by the healthcare cooperative model of Spain and keeping in mind the ground reality of the lack of healthcare facilities and services accessible and affordable in developing countries, the authors have developed a conceptual framework with the foundation of an insurance cooperative. The Spain Model is sustainable for developing countries as it serves the interest of all income brackets, not leaving the low-income population behind. Concepts like cooperative worker insurance embedded in the model can ensure that the beneficiaries receive timely and good quality health services at an affordable price. It empowers individuals by allowing them to make small amounts of investments as premiums to secure a hopeful future for a healthy life.