Social enterprises can play a relevant role in local and human development. However, in some countries public institutions and local stakeholders still have some difficulties in understanding the benefits of developing enabling ecosystems for social enterprises. Consequently, research and academic institutions in such countries are tasked with a significant role in the initial development of these ecosystems and in proposing culturally, socially and economically sound actions and policies to support their robust development. In their latest paper titled “A localised participatory research agenda for social enterprises: an application in Palestine” (Social Enterprise Journal,2025) Enrico Testi, Fadi Kattan, Rabeh Morrar and Vittoria Vineis present a methodology for constructing research agendas on social enterprises by directly engaging a diverse array of stakeholders within a specific territory. The methodology is called Localised Participatory Research Agenda (LPRA) and has been tested in Palestine thanks to a project financed by the Italian Cooperation Agency.
The social mission of social enterprises (SEs) frequently aligns with the fundamental principles and priorities of sustainable development. In this regard, SEs are viewed as potential catalysts for grassroots innovations, addressing local needs by interpreting the demands articulated by local communities.
However, in many countries there is still not a clear understanding of social enterprises ecosystems and related terms and concepts such as Social Business (Yunus, 2010), Social Entrepreneurship, Social Innovation, etc. This ambiguity poses challenges to the local legitimacy of the concept and the formulation of policies supporting the growth of SEs.
Role of academia
Wherever policy makers and local stakeholders do not fully appreciate the benefits of promoting enabling ecosystems for social enterprises, research and academic institutions become a fundamental actor in clarifying these concepts to diverse stakeholders.
Research and academic institutions’ role also implies proposing culturally, socially and economically sound actions and policies to support the robust development of SEs. This role, which falls largely into the Third Mission of universities, could be supported by using research tools that employ participatory mechanisms to create a bridge between their activities and the needs and expectations of local stakeholders. Designing localised research agendas that aggregate and address the information needs of local stakeholders, translate these needs into research questions, and subsequently provide useful research results to these stakeholders could be an effective way to enhance universities’ role in developing the social enterprise ecosystem
In their paper, the authors develop the Localised Participatory Research Agenda (LPRA) methodology, that gives the possibility of constructing research agendas on SEs by directly engaging a diverse array of stakeholders within a specific territory.
The advantages of an LPRA methodology
The methodology can be applied in all those project and programs that aim to develop social enterprises or the social economy in a specific location. For instance, NGOs or international organisations could include the creation of a localised participatory research agenda for SEs in projects aimed at involving stakeholders in creating a support ecosystem for Social enterprises. On the other hand, universities could use this methodology to verify interest by local stakeholders in supporting research efforts on a shared research question. While, governments could apply the methodology in support of research activities of national observatories or agencies that focus on social enterprises or the social economy or to prioritize research funds.
Fostering an enabling ecosystem for social enterprises in Palestine
The methodology has been tested in Palestine thanks to the project Start Your Business financed by the Italian Cooperation Agency. Given the economic, social, and environmental challenges hindering Palestine’s attainment of a satisfactory level of human and economic development, social enterprises could be a valuable tool for addressing pressing social issues while fostering sustainable economic growth. On the other hand, the social enterprises ecosystem in Palestine is still at an early stage of development and social enterprises are not well known to the government and other stakeholders. As a result, their potential is still underused.