Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Rural Europe

Ralph Richter is a senior researcher and lecturer. At the Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS) in Erkner/Germany he has conducted the EU funded research project "Social Innovation in Structurally Weak Rural Regions" (RurInno).Matthias Fink is vice head of the Institute of Innovation at the Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria and a Professor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at ARU Cambridge, UK. In addition, he is academic director of two MBA programs at LIMAK Austrian Business School.Richard Lang is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Innovation Management at Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria, and a Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the School of Social Policy at University of Birmingham, UK. Daniela Maresch is an Associate Professor at the University of Southern Denmark (DK) and an Associate Senior Researcher at the Institute of Innovation Management (IFI) at the Johannes Kepler University Linz (A).

• 1 Rural Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Practice: Case descriptions 2 How Rural Social Enterprises Innovate and Sustain: Potentials and Challenges from the Research Perspective 3 Rural Social Enterprise: An Emerging Strategic Action Field 4 Practitioner’s Voice: Reflections on the Relevance of the Identified Measures for Rural Social Entrepreneurship Practice 5 Key Takeaways: Implications for Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Rural Europe

"This represents an insightful exploration of social entrepreneurship issues that operate within peripheral areas of Europe." — Robert Newbery, Newcastle University Business School, UK"A useful crosscutting case study analysis of social entrepreneurship in marginal rural European areas" — Javier Esparcia, University of Valencia, Spain"Richter et al. bring to the fore the notions of social networks, social capital and strategic action fields in a synergistic manner, because it allows situating social enterprises and their innovations in a regional/rural context. The authors borrow from organizational sociology to complement, refine and further expand novel perspectives in social entrepreneurship that are more sensitive to place." — Ewald Kibler, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland and Pablo Muñoz, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK, Regional Studies (2020)