Recent socio-economic trends, welfare state reform; the emergence of civil society and democracy have highlighted the growing significance of the non-profit sector – a sector between state and market – often associated with concepts such as ‘social economy’, ‘third sector’,...

Few studies have systematically examined the relationship between the creation of new firms and local economic development -- yet it is a universal concern for central and local governments wishing to combat localised economic distress. This book examines the principal routes through which...