What type of development support do Social Enterprises need?
Social Enterprises tend to be found in clusters, where a local support infrastructure and network exists. Success is often underpinned by being able to learn from each other and to access specialist expertise and support in their locality. Business networks and clusters are the focus of much economic development thinking. The success of mainstream clusters is explained by the informal forms of co-operation found at the heart of such networks. Due to their nature as social organisations, there is a natural fit between Social Enterprise and the approach to business clusters more generally.
