Social Economy

Including co-operatives and community enterprises.

Publications

Co-operative Working 1, 2 and 3 was part of a range of publications produced by Co-operatives Research Unit at the Open University – may still be available at Dept for Public Leadership and Social Enterprise? A selection of learning materials covering different aspects and different stages in the development of worker co-ops. From CRU, Technology Faculty, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, phone 01908 653054, email: A.S.Walters@open.ac.uk

Radical Routes How to set up a workers’ co-op and How to set up a housing co-op booklets. Contact Footprint Workers Co-op to check availability, email: footprint@footprinters.co.uk

Start up your social enterprise (pdf, 3.7MB) is one of several publications available from Social Enterprise UK.

UK Society for Co-operative Studies publishes a regular Journal, but probably only for those really interested in all aspects of co-operative activity.

Networks and Educational

Also see: Academic providers such as School for Social Entrepreneurs, can be found on Professional Development page.

• CIC Association “the home of regulated social business”.
• Community Action Network – CAN-online. Links activists and social entrepreneurs.
• Co-operative College.
• Social Enterprise Academy, in Scotland, providing learning and development programmes for leaders and potential leaders of social enterprises.
• Social Enterprise UK aims to provide a voice for the sector. Also see Social Enterprise Scotland.
• Social firms are businesses set up to create employment for those job-disadvantaged due to discrimination. See Social Firms England, Social Firms Wales, Social Firms Scotland.

By location

• Scotland: Senscot Social Entrepreneurs Network Scotland.
• Wales Co-operative Centre.
• Co-Enterprise Business development agency for social enterprises and Community Business in Birmingham. Website disappeared Jan 2010, so may have closed. 138 Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 6DR, phone 0121 687 8790.
• Co-operative Futures supports development of social enterprises in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Swindon and Wiltshire.
• Mining the SEEM – news journal from the East Midlands social business body SEEM.
• Social Enterprise West Midlands; Birmingham & Solihull Social Economy Consortium.
• North East Social Enterprise Partnership.

Other websites

• Assist Social Capital A Scottish project to promote the concept (and relevant action?).
• Community Enterprise Ltd Business Support, Training and Consultancy Services for the Social Economy, based in Edinburgh.
• Co-operative Assistance Network Trainers and consultants with various briefing sheets on the web site, including on housing, food and childcare co-ops.
• Co-operatives UK is the merged body of co-op ‘trade associations’ – worker, consumer, housing, community and other co-op types. Legal and other services and support, training. Holyoake House, Hanover St, Manchester, M60 0AS. Co-operative & Community Finance is a sister organisation providing loan finance for co-operatives, employee owned businesses and social enterprises.
• EMES Research Network European social economy research network.
• Grassroots Economic Organizing On-the-ground news from the co-operative world (produced in North America).
• LetsLink Information on setting up and running Local Exchange Trading Systems or Schemes – trading locally without money (using ‘complementary currencies’).
• Social Economy Legal a blog from a trainee solicitor in Belfast. Note that there are some legal differences between Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK.
• Time Banking A variation on Lets (not to be confused with Time Bank, a volunteering set up). Also see Fair Shares.
• uk.coop is the online directory of co-operatives.
• For an international angle on Social Entrepreneurs, take a look at Ashoka or its online resource Changemakers.
• Institute for Social Entrepreneurs.

Tags: co-op, community business, social enterprise