This case study focuses on and analyses the formation of four co-operatives in the Evangeline region, a small Acadian community in the southwest part of Prince Edward Island.

Defined by the authors as an 'integrated community-controlled economy, ' the Evangeline community demonstrates the potential that a network of interrelated co-operatives has for community economic development. More specifically, the authors discuss why some co-operatives succeed while others fail, and propose a model that outlines the element necessary for any comprehensive community economic-development...

Quarter examines business owners who use their firms as laboratories for social innovation. After providing an introduction to this phenomenon in an historical perspective and discussing the 19th-century British industrialist Robert Owen, he provides ll case studies of contemporary innovators from six countries-the UK, US, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, and New Zealand.

The case studies fall into two broad groups. The first involves business people who promote innovative ownership and decision-making strategies such as donating their shares to a trust and thereby creating a company...

Within the last decade, the kibbutzim of Israel have experienced a fundamental transformation that poses challenges to their values of collectivism and solidarity. This collection by leading scholars of the kibbutz not only updates knowledge of this innovative society, but also draws parallels to changes occurring in the West.

Kibbutz society is currently experiencing major change. Economic crises that erupted ten years ago have transferred into major social and ideological crises. The underlying debate is about what values should govern kibbutzim, as collectivism and altruism clash...

In Understanding the Social Economy, Jack Quarter, Laurie Mook, and Ann Armstrong integrate a wide array of organizations founded upon a social mission - social enterprises, nonprofits, co-operatives, credit unions, and community development associations - under the rubric of the 'social economy.' This framework facilitates a comprehensive study of Canada's social sector, an area often neglected in the business curricula despite the important role that these organizations play in Canada's economy.

Invaluable for business programs that address issues such as community...

Researching the Social Economy is one of the first comprehensive research collections on the social economy in Canada. While the term "social economy" is used widely is Western Europe and Quebec, it has had minimal currency in English Canada, where the differences between the public and private sectors and among nonprofits, co-operatives, social enterprises, and community economic development organizations have been emphasized.

The contributions to this volume, flowing from an inter-regional and international network of scholars and community organizations, analyze how the...

Market-based social economy firms such as social enterprises, social purpose businesses, co-operatives, credit unions, and community economic development corporations aim to meet distinct social needs while making money. Do these types of businesses have the potential for growth in the modern economy? Are they destined to function only in areas where conventional firms cannot achieve a sufficient rate of return? Or will the role of social economy organizations change as businesses begin placing more emphasis on corporate social responsibility?

Building on the popular 2010 collection...

Market-based social economy firms such as social enterprises, social purpose businesses, co-operatives, credit unions, and community economic development corporations aim to meet distinct social needs while making money. Do these types of businesses have the potential for growth in the modern economy? Are they destined to function only in areas where conventional firms cannot achieve a sufficient rate of return? Or will the role of social economy organizations change as businesses begin placing more emphasis on corporate social responsibility?

Building on the popular 2010 collection...

Social Purpose Enterprises: Case Studies for Social Change presents case studies of twelve organizations that operate in a growing niche within the Canadian social economy: market-based entities supported by a nonprofit organization and operated for the benefit of a workforce who lives on the margins of society.

Using a variety of research methods, the contributors examine the work of social purpose enterprises in a range of businesses including food services, child care, furniture, courier services, and microfinance. Combining the experience of academics and practitioners,...

Understanding the Social Economy of the United States is a comprehensive introduction to the operation and study of organizations with social goals - public sector nonprofits, civil society organizations, social enterprises, cooperatives and other organizations with a social mission - under the rubric of the social economy.

This text is rich in examples and case studies that explain the social economy framework in the context of the United States. The book not only highlights the differences between these organizations and traditional businesses, but also provides applied...

Understanding the Social Economy of the United States is a comprehensive introduction to the operation and study of organizations with social goals - public sector nonprofits, civil society organizations, social enterprises, cooperatives and other organizations with a social mission - under the rubric of the social economy.

This text is rich in examples and case studies that explain the social economy framework in the context of the United States. The book not only highlights the differences between these organizations and traditional businesses, but also provides applied...