| Summary: | Social economy is a concept that nowadays is often used in discussions about local development. This essay is a theoretical discussion dealing with the definition of the concept of social economy linked to the processes of local mobilisation in sparsely populated areas. The initiative of this essay came from Nätverket för kooperativt och socialt företagande and it is a part of a project to scientifically document the signification of social economy in a region in northern Sweden which is considered as Objective 5b region according to the EU regional policy. Social economy is a part of what is sometimes called the “third sector”, activities that are neither strictly classified as public sector nor private sector. Activities in this sector are always a result of individuals seeking by united effort to supply a common need. This process takes place in a certain location and is dependent on the conditions and people in that place. Therefore it is interesting to evaluate the characteristics of the people and places where the process of local mobilisation has been successful. From the basis of a number of case studies found in literature, my own case study (1999), the experience of people working at Nätverket and scientific theories of various kinds a model has been constructed to describe the variety of processes vital to the process of local mobilisation. A comparison with the product life cycle model describes the development of a local mobilisation process over time. The positive effects of a successful mobilisation is obvious while even small improvements in supply of service or activities in a sparsely populated area can make a big difference for the people who live there. The road to a successful local mobilisation is not without obstacles as it is dependent first and last on the commitment of people. Another important conclusion is that the process of local mobilisation is highly dependent on the local structural conditions and can not be forced by external volition. Inom EU-finansierade projektet Urban ...
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