Social Entrepreneurship and Social Exclusion: A Multi-Level Analysis of Education and Employment Initiatives in Amsterdam Zuidoost
Involved residents, participants and community members are important for the success of social enterprises in Amsterdam Zuidoost, according to Amy Abdou. Public funding also helps, as long as it does not result in too much dependency which can limit innovation.
On the basis of four case studies Abdou investigated how social enterprises function in a disadvantaged urban environment in terms of education, entrepreneurship and employment. She wanted to find out what makes them successful or what gets in the way.
Amsterdam Zuidoost, a borough on the outskirts of Amsterdam, is a particularly relevant research environment due to its continued policy focus on promoting entrepreneurship as a means of combating social exclusion. About 60% of the inhabitants have roots in Suriname, the Antilles or Ghana and 40% experience economic challenges.
Participation and financing
Where local residents are genuinely involved, education, entrepreneurship and employment programs are more effective, Abdou argues. Where residents are excluded, the results suffer. The organizational structure also plays a role: initiatives that combine commercial activities with external financing appear to be more resistant to setbacks than organisations that depend on a single source of income.
Public funding can provide an important boost to social enterprises, but it does not guarantee better outcomes for residents or stronger community involvement in decision-making. In fact, too much dependence on government support makes organizations vulnerable. When long-term subsidies dry up and tenders favour large, administratively stronger organisations, smaller, locally anchored initiatives find it difficult to compete.
Recommendations
Abdou advises, among other things, that community involvement should be a condition for financial support, and that one-dimensional accountability should make way for multi-stakeholder evaluation. She also argues for support in scaling up successful initiatives, and for encouraging diversified financing models instead of dependence on one source.
More information on the thesis