Presenters: Professor Catherine Robinson (University of Kent) and Professor Phil Murphy (Swansea University)
Chair: Professor David Blackaby
Location: Swansea University Bay Campus, Great Hall, Room GH018
The rise in the number of social enterprises has been matched by the increased attention they have received as a potentially ‘new’ way of doing business. Notwithstanding the problems associated with the definition of this form of enterprise, data on social enterprises per se is not routinely collected widely. The most consistent source of administrative data on these organisations is the Small Business Survey (SBS).
This paper explores the linkage between the SBS and other administrative data to offer a more detailed picture of firms that self-classify as ‘social enterprises’. Matched data permit the exploration of the history and future of the firms identified in the biennial cross-sections. Specifically, and in the context of contemporary scholarly work on civil society, this research seeks to identify any fundamental differences between traditional for-profit firms and firms that regard themselves as social enterprises.
This seminar relates to Work Package 3.1 of WISERD’s Civil Society ESRC grant.
Part of the 2016 WISERD Civil Society Seminar Series this seminar explored the linkage between the Small Business Survey and other administrative data to offer a more detailed picture of firms that self-classify as ‘social enterprises’.