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Reducing health inequities is … an ethical imperative. Social injustice is killing people on a grand scale.1 November 21, 2016, marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Ottawa Charter on Health Promotion. The Ottawa Charter was notable for reaffirming the important idea that political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, behavioural, and biological factors can all favour or harm "health," defined by the WHO as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."2 Various prominent studies, both before and since that time, have revealed that health is inseparably connected to underlying political, social, and economic conditions. A range of "social determinants of health" have been identified,3 including income and income distribution; education, unemployment and job security; employment and working conditions; early childhood development; food insecurity; housing; social exclusion; social safety networks; and access to, and quality of, health services. We know, too, that Indigenous people are particularly at risk for poor health, and factors such as gender, race, and disability are also relevant in in shaping how long, and how healthy, our lives are likely to be.

"In recent decades, governments have promoted social enterprise as a mean to address welfare and tackle disadvantage. Early academic work on social enterprises reflected this development and engaged with their ability to deliver and create jobs, work towards remedial environmental goals and address a range of societal challenges. More recently, researchers have started to investigate the broader potential of social enterprise for the wellbeing of people and the planet. In this context, this book aims to answer the question: In what ways can social enterprises improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities? The chapters in this edited collection take different perspectives on assessing how social enterprises address disadvantage and deliver health and wellbeing impacts. Drawing on evidence from international research studies, Social Enterprise, Health and Wellbeing: Theory Method and Practice presents the 'first wave' of innovative research on this topic and provides a platform of evidence to inspire the next generation of scholarly and policy interest. Drawing on the cutting edge of interdisciplinary research in the field, this book will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students in the fields of entrepreneurship, public and social policy, community development, public health, human geography and urban planning."

In recent decades, governments have promoted social enterprise as a means to address welfare and tackle disadvantage. Early academic work on social enterprises reflected this development and engaged with their ability to deliver and create jobs, work towards remedial environmental goals, and address a range of societal challenges. More recently, researchers have started to investigate the broader potential of social enterprise for the wellbeing of people and the planet. In this context, this book aims to answer the question: In what ways can social enterprises improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities? The chapters in this edited collection take different perspectives on assessing how social enterprises address disadvantage and deliver health and wellbeing impacts. Drawing on evidence from international research studies, Social Enterprise, Health, and Wellbeing: Theory, Methods, and Practice presents the first wave' of innovative research on this topic and provides a platform of evidence to inspire the next generation of scholarly and policy interest. Drawing on the cutting edge of interdisciplinary research in the field, this book will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students in the fields of entrepreneurship, public and social policy, community development, public health, human geography, and urban planning.

PurposeStates and development bodies are increasingly stimulating social enterprise activity in communities as an empowering social and economic development intervention. This type of development initiative is often facilitated by actors who are external to communities, and the role of community members is not clear. This paper aims to explore whether facilitated social enterprise benefits or disempowers communities.Design/methodology/approachThe focus is a case study of a project based in Scotland designed to stimulate the creation of social enterprises involved in community growing. The case study approach involved a mix of methods, including formal (semi-structured) interviews, participant observation and analysis of documentary evidence. Analysis of findings was undertaken using Muñoz and Steinerowski's (2012) theory of social entrepreneurial behaviour.FindingsFindings suggest that social enterprise that originates outside communities and is facilitated by external actors is potentially disempowering, particularly when social enterprise development does not necessarily align with community needs. The paper reiterates findings in previous studies that certain roles in facilitated social enterprise require to be community-led. Projects that do attempt to facilitate social enterprise would benefit from community participation at the project planning stage.Originality/valueIf facilitated social enterprise is increasingly promoted as an empowering development intervention, this paper provides insight about how facilitated social enterprise occurs in practice and gives preliminary information about possible barriers to empowerment using this approach to development.