Mapping the regional social enterprise sector: past approaches, challenges and future direction

Draws on a number of other mapping studies carried out by CEEDR, Middlesex University in the past and involving David Smallbone, Mel Evans, Marcello Bertotti, Ignatius Ekanem, Anne Humbert, Ian Vickers, Rob Baldock and others. They are grateful for their contributions to our thinking on conceptualising social enterprises and are also grateful to input from Les Hem from Guidestar. This paper also benefits from comments from attendees of the Social Enterprise Research Conference and Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference. This paper draws on preparatory material used for mapping studies for DTI, Countryside Agency and SEEDA, although all views expressed are those of the authors alone