Suburbs represent an essential subject for regional studies and have a rapidly increasing economic significance within wider metropolitan regions (Phelps 2010). It is necessary to create inclusive suburbs with a stronger identity. The current growth of populations in major cities requires an ability to reorganize existing cities and a massive restructuring of urban infrastructure (Modarres and Kirby 2010). The interpretation of the needs of suburbs have previously called for a transdisciplinary and collaborative strategy (Després et al. 2004). We look at entrepreneurship and different types of 21 businesses as a source of vitalization of suburbs. These ventures are studied in the context of the diversity of the population of suburb. Entrepreneurial investments, the establishment of high impact enterprises as well as networking among local and migrant businesses represent elements that can vitalize previously marginalized suburbs. Enterprises that are clustered in suburban neighborhoods reflect the different impacts of suburban and city spatial forms. Newly arrived citizens draw upon the critical mass of ethnic members to form a niche market for ethnic business (Fong et al. 2007). Minorities may have limited access to financial capital in the larger urban economy, but ethnic enclaves may provide a source of a unique competitive advantage (Cummings 1999). Entrepreneurship rooted in a suburban surrounding represent a specific opportunity to become embedded in an economic and spatial dimension. The migrant may be seen as representing a diversity capital which penetrate specific market conditions located in ethnically diverse neighborhoods situated in the suburbs of major cities. The spatial and entrepreneurial dimension of ethnic business can thereby be given a relevant context for interpretation.
The summer of 2022 was a memorable and unique experience for all participants and organisers of the 28th annual conference of the International Sustainable Development Research Society – ISDRS 2022 in Stockholm.
On the same turf of the United Nations conference in Stockholm in 1972 and its Stockholm +50 sibbling, and after two annual online versions of the conference forced upon us, it was with great joy and pleasure we met up again in Stockholm, Sweden. With 35+ re-occurring tracks, a hybrid set-up of both on campus and online conferencing, and with six collaborating universities in Stockholm: Marie Cederschiöld University, Stockholm School of Economics, Swedish Defence University, Stockholm University of the Arts, Södertörn University and University College Stockholm, the conference committee truly took us on a complex challenge. The participants successfully navigated between five different campi while enjoying the this years conference with the overall theme ”Sustainable Development and Courage. Culture, Art and Human Rights”.
We were proud to accommodate over 400 delegates from 50+ countries and all six continents around the world, all of which engaging in the important endeavour of creating more knowledge to make our world a more sustainable one. The six key note panels can be view in its full length on the ISDRS YouTube channel launched in August 2022 with playlists for a few of the recent conferences.1 For this particular conference panels, please view the playlist for ISDRS 2022.2.
Social enterprise (SE) is often depicted as combining entrepreneurial and social dimensions, and as operating between the market and the state. This chapter discusses how the institutional framework shaped by the universalistic Scandinavian welfare state and the recent reforms of its mode of operation inspired by new public management (NPM) influence the opportunity structure for the development of SEs in Scandinavia. It demonstrates, in a highly institutionalised welfare provision system such as the Scandinavian welfare state, and in a context that is simultaneously characterised by the implementation of NPM reforms, SEs risk to be caught between the Charybdis of becoming integrated into the public welfare system and the Scylla of behaving like for-profit actors. In the 1990s, while Sweden and Finland experienced economic downturns which led to major welfare reforms, Norway’s financial situation stabilised.
This dissertation aims to extend entrepreneurship theory to also comprise entrepreneurship in non-profit organizations in civil society. Entrepreneurship is claimed to be highly relevant also to this non-profit setting. Since entrepreneurship theory is highly embedded in an economic discourse and a business setting there is, however, a need to elaborate on the two different frameworks. The analysis of this study is grounded in an empirical study of the entrepreneurial process of Attac Sweden. The study has been conducted with a narrative approach.
In this dissertation entrepreneurship theory is re-contextualized in the framework of non-profit organizations. The paradox of profit versus non-profit is elaborated on as well as the dilemmas of opportunities, legitimacy and the bounding of the new organization. The analysis of this study shows that the discussion on opportunities in entrepreneurship theory is highly relevant also in the case of Attac Sweden. However, this study suggests to supplement the discussion on opportunities with a discussion of ‘necessities’ to relate to perceived convictions to engage and to act. This study further shows and elaborates on the close connections between the process by which entrepreneurship becomes and other group formations in society.
The organization created through the entrepreneurial process becomes an actor in civil society challenging established practices and norms. However, the entrepreneurial process also reaches beyond the creation of an organization. In this dissertation an alternative framework for entrepreneurship, based on a social process of organizing, is developed. This framework connects the entrepreneurial process to group dynamics as well as to social movements and articulation of disclosing stories in society.
The interest in social enterprises has increased rapidly during the last decades in Sweden as in many other countries. The use of the concept continues evolving and a commonly agreed definition has yet to emerge— ‘different versions’ provide points of reference for different groups in society as well as in policy initiatives. Even if the concept of social enterprise remains relatively new in the Swedish context, the phenomena referred to as such today have a long history and must be understood in relation to the development and strong position of public welfare structures as well as theircurrent transformation. During the pre-welfare state phase in history, social initiatives predominantly focused on those who experienced social disadvantages in a rather poor society. These types of charity initiatives during late 19th century combined with strong social movements such as the labour movement and democracy movement, highlighting equality and democracy which later characterised the Swedish welfare state. Since late 20th century, services provided by the public sector have increasingly been subject to competition, thus growing the market for private welfare services– including those sold by social enterprises. Policies, procurements and different client choice models have not been limited to certain types of private initiatives. Social enterprises do therefore compete on the same market as non-profit organisations (NPOs) and conventional enterprises.
The concept of social enterprise, as well as that of social entrepreneurship, were introduced in Sweden in the 1990s and have since then become increasingly common in practice, policy and academy. This chapter is based on many years of research on social enterprise, social entrepreneurship and civil society, as well as work on “mainstream” entrepreneurship, where business logic dominates the field. The chapter starts with a description of Swedish historical trajectory. During the 19th century, poor people’s protests were partly hearkened by an emerging middle class that was influenced by an international humanistic movement. The interest in non-profit social enterprises has also increased recently; this trend is particularly linked to the increased interest in private social-service providers in welfare-policy areas.
Entrepreneurship is celebrated as a miracle for all sorts of reasons and has increasingly been lauded for its capacity to ‘respond to needs’ or to ‘meet societal challenges’. The experiences from these transdisciplinary entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives reveal a continued need to develop working methods and mobilize resources for this work. The field of entrepreneurship consists of the academic literature as well as a broader discourse to which practitioners, media and policy makers also contribute arguments. Entrepreneurship research stems from the study of specific dynamic activities framed in economic theory. The spread of entrepreneurship into different spheres in society in recent decades is to a large extent characterized by the acclaimed characteristics of phenomena that have been nourished by decades of economic embeddedness. Epistemologically, the field of entrepreneurship can generally be characterized as rather pragmatic. In the field of entrepreneurship and innovation, there has been an obvious response to the call for sustainable development.
Det är viktigt att företagsekonomin inte sätter på sig skygglappar och har modet att ha en bred, systemisk syn på hållbarhet. Vi föreslår att företagsekonomin ger mera utrymme åt att söka och finna fungerande alternativ, inte genom att bara tänka ut nyheter hela tiden vilket inte är hållbart i längden, utan även genom att presentera organisationer som redan är i gång och kan inspirera till hållbart organiserande i större skala – en slags systemisk surdeg för hållbarhet. Vi illustrerar vår reflektion med berättelser från fältet. I en handlar det om sökandet efter en förståelse av det (alternativa) sociala företagandet och företagsamheten i det civila samhället. I den andra handlar det om små entreprenöriella organisationer som beskriver sig självasom fungerande utanför kapitalismen. I den tredje presenterar vi idéer kring hur organisering av konst/kultur i sin tur kan vara kopplade till hållbarhet.