Capabilities, urban unrest and social enterprise

Purpose – In this article, the aim is to explore the rise of the role of the social enterprise as a “force for good” in the context of social and economic regeneration. Building on the growing importance of the third sector to central government as part of its agenda to diversify the delivery of public services, the paper seeks to question the veracity of the view that social enterprises invariably enable the communities in which they operate. Design/methodology/approach – The authors have developed this conceptual paper by building on the application of Amartya Sen's capabilities approach. Findings – It is concluded that where social enterprises are contracted to provide services to communities, including those that would previously have been provided by the public sector (within a carefully crafted statutory framework), should have a demonstrable remit for community wide action, as this, it is argued, is more likely to facilitate community wide benefits. Part of any assessment should include, first, the sustainability of the contribution; and second, the extent to which they enable community members to exercise the choice to participate in the mainstream economy and society. Research limitations/implications – This theoretical account would benefit from empirical assessment. Practical implications – The article is of potential value to policy makers and researchers of social enterprise in urban, multicultural environments. Originality/value – The article has attempted to use the capabilities approach to reconcile some of the tensions between the rhetoric and reality of social enterprise activity and its value in the context of the regeneration of communities.