Abstract:
There has been a renewal of interest in the possibilities for new local employment
in the social economy and this may be a suitable area where community initiative
and effort can be concentrated. The literature suggests that many of the tasks
typically undertaken under the banner of community economic initiative can be
very often misspecified and, as a consequence, the results can be somewhat unsatisfactory.
This paper argues that it is preferable that community effort should
be concentrated on those parts of the economy where it can have a legitimate role
to play and where the activities in question connect directly with community and
local betterment. Some case studies of experimental projects are used to discuss
how employment possibilities might arise out of needs in the service sector and
the informal economy.
