A comparative overview of social enterprise ‘ecosystems’ in Scotland and England: an evolutionary perspective |
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Authors: | Richard Hazenberg Meanu Bajwa-Patel Michael J Roy Micaela Mazzei Simone Baglioni |
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Institution: | 1. Institute for Social Innovation &2. Impact, University of Northampton, Northampton, UK;3. Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health / Glasgow School for Business and Society, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK |
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Abstract: | Social enterprise has been identified as a culturally and socially constructed phenomenon; over recent years there has been increasing focus on how social enterprise ‘ecosystems’ differ across countries. There has been less focus on the differences in social enterprise ecosystems within countries, where regional differences in the cultural, political and social environment can lead to variations in the environment for support. Recent devolution within the United Kingdom has led to all four countries developing fairly diverse political and policy environments. This paper explores these differences through the lens of evolutionary theory which posits that within an ecosystem all organisms are a product of the evolution of that ecosystem and that socio-political and regulatory differences can lead to the rapid divergence of social enterprise ecosystems. |
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Keywords: | Social enterprise ecosystems social policy political devolution |
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