title: The Contribution of a Social Enterprise to the Building of Social Capital in a Disadvantaged Urban Area of London.
abstract: There has been much enthusiasm over the past 10 years for the potential contribution of social enterprises to the regeneration of disadvantaged urban areas. This enthusiasm has far outstripped the availability of empirical evidence. This paper reports a qualitative study of one social enterprise, a community café, and its contribution to building social capital in a disadvantaged urban area in London. The analysis reveals how the café builds 'bonding' and 'bridging' social capital whilst also addressing 'downside' social capital. Overall, the manager of the social enterprise played a considerable role in facilitating the development of social capital, thus emphasising the importance of individuals and their attitudes, skills, and background in urban regeneration. However, the role of the social enterprise in building 'linking' social capital was minor. In this instance, more effective mechanisms of community engagement need to be put in place in order to empower local residents and organisations.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health and Human Development, University of East London, Water Lane, London E15 4LZ, UK, Tel.: +44 (0)208 223 4139.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bertotti
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health and Human Development, University of East London, Water Lane, London E15 4LZ, UK, Tel.: +44 (0)208 223 4282.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harden
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health and Human Development, University of East London, Water Lane, London E15 4LZ, UK, Tel.: +44 (0)208 223 4539.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Renton
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health and Human Development, University of East London, Water Lane, London E15 4LZ, UK, Tel.: +44 (0)208 223 2133.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sheridan
keywords: Local economic development; SureStart; embeddedness; social capital; social enterprise; urban regeneration