Social enterprises as rural development actors

Abstract

The social enterprise sector is attracting policy and academic interest internationally for its promise to meet development challenges across social and economic domains. This article discusses findings from applied research in Tasmania, Australia, that aimed to understand whether social enterprises were present, what distinguished them as a sector, and the kinds of development roles they sought to play. Findings revealed that numerous Tasmanian organisations identified as social enterprises yet these organisations shared no common organisational structure, development mission or industry. Rather, what they shared was a common approach to addressing local development issues: one that involved crossing boundaries and working across sectoral silos to leverage resources and support.