EXTENSION'S APPROACH TO THE POVERTY PROBLEM IN KENTUCKY

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

The FairShares Model: a communitarian pluralist approach to constituting social enterprises?

Objectives - This paper is an exploration of the intellectual antecedents and philosophical assumptions that underpin the FairShares Model - a set of brand principles and Articles of Association published by the FairShares Association. It contributes to knowledge of the history of the social enterprise movement and its link to contemporary developments in mutual social enterprises. Prior Work - Previous contributions to the literature on social economy have drawn on communitarian philosophy to develop insights into mutual principles. This paper sets out a theoretical framework to evaluate whether the FairShares Model represents a communitarian pluralist discourse on the constitution of social enterprises. Approach - In January 2013, the FairShares Association published guidance on the FairShares 'brand' and 'model' (drawing on work presented at ISBE) to develop the concept of a ‘socialised’ enterprise . The framework developed from prior work is used to assess which aspects of communitarian philosophy are emphasized in both antecedent model rules (identified by the FairShares Association) as well as the FairShares Model (v1.2a). Results - The FairShares Model is theorised as a predominantly communitarian pluralist discourse with some ‘corporatist’ commitments. It represents an evolving set of guidelines for the ‘socialisation’ of enterprise by devising membership rights for two primary stakeholders (labour, users), and two secondary stakeholders (founders, investors). It is designed to reverse the centralising and accumulating tendencies of the private sector without returning assets to state control. It differs from philanthropic models by offering co-operative (par value) shares to three member classes: founders, labour and users, and (ordinary) ‘investor’ shares to all classes of member. Implications - The FairShares Model contributes to knowledge on the 'socialisation' of enterprise by identifying core characteristics of member-owned enterprises that deploy strategies for multi stakeholder ownership, governance and management. Value – By operationalising a communitarian pluralist discourse in the process of constituting a social enterprise, the FairShares Model offers an alternative to private sector models based on the subordination of labour and mutual models based on the primacy of a single stakeholder group

Rendering the Social Solidarity Economy: exploring the case for a paradigm shift in the visibility of co operative and mutual enterprises in business education and policy-making

Theories of business are still dominated by a choice between social responsibility (altruistic communitarianism) and private business (neo-liberalism). From the start of the 1990s, this hegemony has been disrupted by research on voluntary action and social enterprise (SE). By philosophically grounding the logics of three approaches to social enterprise, this paper explores evidence of a paradigm shift. The conclusion is drawn that there is no longer a defensible justification for rendering the social solidarity economy (SSE) as a marginal choice between altruistic communitarianism and neo-liberalism. There is now a broad-based economy of unions, societies, associations (CTAs), co-operatives, mutual financial institutions, employee-owned businesses (CMEs) and socially responsible businesses (SRBs) supporting more than half the world’s population. Business education needs to be reframed as a new choice between social liberalism and pragmatic communitarianism informed by ‘new co-operativism’ that draws extensively on theories of co-operation and mutual aid in member-controlled enterprises

Solidarity cooperatives: the (hidden) origins of communitarian pluralism in the UK social enterprise movement

Purpose: This paper re-evaluates social enterprise (SE) history to pinpoint a pluralist turn in communitarian philosophy during the 1970s that has the potential to transform labour and consumer rights in enterprise development. Design/Methodology: Through a close examination of model rules created by founders of the FairShares Association (FSA), we find that the communitarian origins of SE are disturbingly obscured and hidden. Findings: In studying FSA documents and building a timeline of the development of the FairShares Model (FSM) we found links between SE developments in the UK, continental Europe, Asia, North/South America and the development of solidarity cooperatives. Research Implications: We argue that the discovery of a communitarian pluralist turn advances ‘new cooperativism’ by enfranchising both labour and users in industrial relations (IR). Using this insight, we challenge accounts of SE history and argue for more research on SE’s potential contribution to radical IR. Originality/Value: The paper highlights the potential of the FSM as a vehicle for catalysing new SE and IR practices that share wealth and power more equitably between social entrepreneurs, workforce members, service/product users and community/social investors. Keywords: common bond; communitarian pluralism; new cooperativism; multi-stakeholding; social enterprise; solidarity cooperatives

Understanding social enterprise: theory and practice. 2nd edition.

The emergence of social enterprises over the past 35 years has been an exciting and significant development in the economy at a local, national and international level. How should we understand the growing popularity of social enterprise and the wider social economy? Are alternative business models even more relevant in an uncertain business climate? Do they provide a robust response to periods of state 'austerity'? How do social enterprises contribute to global initiatives to improve the sustainability and responsibility of the business community? Through discussion of theoretical and practical considerations for the field, and a wealth of learning features, this 2nd edition of Understanding Social Enterprise: * Focuses on the distinct pathways that social enterprises follow, critiquing the competencies and practices that contribute to a successful social economy * Contains updated coverage on sector issues, including the recent development of the social investment industry * Explores how private, voluntary and public sector agencies engage the social economy, and how distinctive new forms have emerged from it * Examines the management of social enterprises in different contexts within the social economy * Contains updated coverage of international issues informed by global studies of the social economies. Revisions include a new, tripartite structure and two new chapters on 'Marketing and Measuring Social Value' and 'Social Investment and Crowd Funding'. This second edition was the product of a review of the 1st edition by 5 experienced entrepreneurship academics. It includes a companion website with teaching materials, slides, draft curricula and resource lists

Solidarity co-operatives : an embedded historical communitarian pluralist approach to social enterprise development?(Keynote to RMIT Research Colloquium)

In this paper, we explore antecedents of the FairShares Model of social enterprise to answer the question “how has the concept of a ‘solidarity co-operative’ developed in the UK?” Our research on the antecedents of the FairShares Model uncovers a history of attempts to integrate entrepreneurs, producers, service users and investors using multi-stakeholder approaches to social enterprise. We argue that this (hidden) history is rooted in a growing acceptance of communitarian pluralist principles in the social and solidarity economy, but remains marginalised in the UK due to a powerful US discourse on social entrepreneurship. The FairShares Model represents a fresh attempt to advance communitarian pluralism in social economy through advocacy of ‘multi-stakeholder co operation in member owned social enterprises’

Developing a critical appreciative process to review frameworks for social enterprise education

The object of this paper is to design a process for the development of curricula to advance social enterprise education using the lens of critical management studies (CMS). It is motivated by ongoing work to develop a new award in Cooperative Business and Responsible Management as well as ongoing work to develop the use of Understanding Social Enterprise: Theory and Practice (Ridley-Duff & Bull, 2011; 2016)

Multi-Stakeholder Co-operativism: The (Hidden) Origins of Communitarian Pluralism in the UK Social Enterprise Movement

In this paper, we explore a single case study of multi-stakeholder co-operativism to uncover the (hidden) origins of communitarian pluralism in the story of the social enterprise movement in the UK. Before interventions by the Webbs, members of the co-operative movement were open to multi-stakeholder cooperation. After their intervention, in the early 1900s, this tradition became dormant until the rise of social enterprise in the late 1970s. By studying the model rules of the FairShares Association we show how the emergence of social enterprise in the 1990s rekindled interest in multi-stakeholder co-operative ownership. This communitarian pluralist discourse reframed the co-operative ‘common bond’ in line with the spirit of ‘new co-operativism’ until it became marginalised again by the actions of New Labour in 2003 and the drive for a neo-liberalised social enterprise form

Solidarity Co-operatives: Am Embedded Historical Communitarian Pluralist Approach to Social Enterprise Development?

In this paper, we explore antecedents of the FairShares Model of social enterprise to answer the question “how has the concept of a ‘solidarity co-operative’ developed in the UK?” Our research on the antecedents of the FairShares Model uncovers a history of attempts to integrate entrepreneurs, producers, service users and investors using multi-stakeholder approaches to social enterprise. We argue that this (hidden) history is rooted in a growing acceptance of communitarian pluralist principles in the social and solidarity economy, but remains marginalised in the UK due to a powerful US discourse on social entrepreneurship. The FairShares Model represents a fresh attempt to advance communitarian pluralism in social economy through advocacy of ‘multi-stakeholder co-operation in member-owned social enterprises’

Developing a critical appreciative process to review frameworks for social enterprise education

The object of this paper is to design a process for the development of curricula to advance social enterprise education using the lens of critical management studies (CMS). It is motivated by ongoing work to develop a new award in Cooperative Business and Responsible Management at [University] as well as ongoing work to develop the use of Understanding Social Enterprise: Theory and Practice (Ridley-Duff & Bull, 2011; 2016). Five projects have influenced the authors’ conceptualisations of social enterprise and responsible management. In this paper, we set out the rationale for taking a critical approach to curriculum development based on critiquing a framework developed by the ARIADNE project (Moreau and Mertens, 2013). We develop an argument for comparing it to four other frameworks that have competed to shape our thinking. Whilst acknowledging the potential danger of ‘closure’ through the development of curricula that converge on normative values and principles, our goal is the development and application of a critical appreciative process that ensures any normative consensus is destabilised to ensure that new curricula acknowledge where a dissensus exists. Guided by new research on ‘critical appreciation’ that explores the interaction between social systems and personal lifeworlds, we frame ‘competencies’ as system imperatives in social enterprise education, and ‘knowledge’, ‘skills’ and ‘attitudes’ as proxies for the lifeworlds that it aims to create. The paper sets out how critical appreciation provides a process for comparing and contrasting selected frameworks to deconstruct the discourse that underpins the values and principles in each implied curriculum. This process is designed to encourage the authors to re-examine their assumptions as they co-construct a new curriculum. By designing a process for deconstructing and comparing multiple frameworks for social enterprise education, we advance CMS by enabling institutions, academics and students to: 1) reclaim choice in how they shape and develop social enterprise courses; 2) develop a theory of social enterprise education that is reflexive regarding its impact on curriculum development and which encourages andragogy over pedagogy. The value of this paper lies is the process developed for the active construction of new courses on social enterprise that embed the perspective of critical management studies in their development. The paper also offers a new application of ‘critical appreciative processes (CAPs) in the field of management education