Associations as social economy enterprises are the main focus of this thesis. The theoretical part of the thesis presents the area of social economy and social entrepreneurship, both worldwide and in the context of the Czech Republic. The Czech legal framework for the area of social economy and its associations, as well as local specifics are also described. The discussion follows the principles delineated by Kim Alter. In the empirical part of the thesis, nine case studies of Czech associations - social economy enterprises are analysed with the use of publicly accessible documents. Using these case studies, the analysis shows how each case fulfils the principles of social economy enterprise. The author uses Alter's typology to ascertain, what type of social economy enterprise each of the cases represent: an embedded, integrated or external social enterprise.