What can Social Enterprises contribute to the 'levelling up' agenda?

The ‘levelling-up’ agenda offers the opportunity to change the way we think about regional development. Based on traditional measures of performance, interregional inequality is substantial in the UK and unlikely to be addressed without a sustained and significant policy effort. Government moves to change industrial and regional support following the UK’s exit from the European Union have been tentative but are now taking shape. Society and policy may be well served by a broader interpretation of regional success which incorporates wellbeing in a wider sense and social enterprises are well placed to contribute to this broader interpretation.

This review reflects on their potential role in reducing interregional inequality in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit.