Social enterprise and community resilience: Examining a Greek response to turbulent times

Apostolopoulos N., Newbery R., Gkartzios M.

JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES, vol.70, pp.215-224, 2019 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 70
  • Publication Date: 2019
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2018.03.017
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.215-224
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: No

Abstract

Using community resilience and institutional entrepreneurship as conceptual lens, the paper explores whether support for social enterprises in non-metropolitan Greece has led to resilient social systems. Whilst drawing on narratives of enabling a bottom-up response to market failure, rather than radical or reformist adaptation, social enterprise may have produced a reluctant and state reliant response which may weaken the resilience of communities to survive continued austerity. The research selected and interviewed 30 social enterprises operating within non-metropolitan Greece during 2016. It contributes to knowledge through a novel framing, which clarifies that social enterprise in Greece remains a top-down governance process which fails to deliver transformative forms of community resilience.