The social economy in Australia: A research agenda

This paper examines the idea of social economy in an era of network governance. While existing definitions of social economy vary, recent approaches to social inclusion involving strategic partnerships that combine social and economic objectives provide concrete examples in need of conceptual clarification. In order to

sharpen the analytical lens, the paper outlines some key themes in both the social economy and network governance literatures, linking them together through the issue of cross-sector joint action. A key issue here is how to deal with the conceptual and empirical challenges this field of research poses. In this regard, we propose some preliminary questions and tentative responses as part of a broader program of research which involves conceptualising and mapping the Australian social economy.

University of Melbourne, Australia.