Welfare as work? The potential of the UK social economy

The authors provide a critical assessment of the emerging academic and policy consensus over the potential of local social economy initiatives to deliver social and economic regeneration. Drawing on material from 60 case studies in the United Kingdom, they examine three central claims made for the social economy: that it is empowering, economically sustainable, and capable of providing a real alternative to the 'mainstream' public and private sector economies. They argue that the empirical evidence offers only ambiguous support for these claims and that the full potential of the UK social economy is not being realised. They identify several factors currently inhibiting the development of effective local social economy projects in the United Kingdom. They conclude by proposing a range of measures that could remove the financial and practical barriers currently constraining the development of an effective and lasting social economy in the United Kingdom.