Social entrepreneurship in a rural context: an over-ideological state?

摘要

Recently there has been a boom in interest in the social entrepreneur and social entrepreneurship and increasingly social entrepreneurs and the organisations in which they are involved are perceived to play a significant role in contemporary society.The perceptions of policymakers are that the role of this sector could be even greater, particularly in terms of delivery and reform and in providing local services in 'hard to reach' remote and rural areas. Is this, though, an over-ideological strategy,After all, at an operational level such areas face a range of significant challenges. Aiming to broaden understanding, this paper deals with the questions: 'what are the factors that influence how the social entrepreneur operates in a rural context,' and 'what are the difficulties faced by the rural social entrepreneur and can they be overcome to bring about change,' It reports the findings from a study that considered the situations and perspectives of thirty respondents. This research not only demonstrates how social entrepreneurs have undertaken entrepreneurship, but also initiatives that have been successfully used to empower communities and bring about change.