Conventional wisdom, according to economist J.K. Galbraith, is made up of "ideas which are esteemed at any time for their acceptability". Social enterprise is fast becoming one of them. It has been talked about on the other side of the Atlantic for some time (Harvard Business School started a "Social Enterprise Initiative" back in 1993). Now its time to be esteemed in Britain seems to have come. David Cameron, who as front-runner in the Conservative leadership race is determined to sound leaderly while keeping policy promises vague, is keen on it. "Just as business entrepreneurs have helped cure the British economic disease, so social entrepreneurs can help cure Britain's social malaise," Mr Cameron reckons.
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