Health inequalities - the unfair and avoidable differences in health status between individuals, communities, social groups and populations - have progressively widened and deepened in recent decades, despite access to world~ class healthcare services and public health research in cities such as Glasgow. New ways of thinking about and tackling the problem are therefore constantly being sought One potentially innovative and sustainable response could be the 'social enterprise', a business that works towards social ends, rather than for the maximisation of financial returns for shareholders or investors. In the literature, the role of social enterprise in the context of health has, to date, been limited to exploring their role as an alternative provider of health services. However, by drawing upon a wide theoretical base, particularly the work of Karl Polanyi, the fields of social enterprise and public health are brought together to make the argument that by acting to address one or more aspects of social vulnerability, and achieving the means to do so in some broader trading activity, gains in health and well-being can be realised from any social enterprise, regardless of whether this is explicitly stated as part of their social mission. Following the development of an initial hypothetical model, the results of what is believed to be the first Systematic Review of empirical evidence of the impact of social enterprise~led activity on health outcomes and their social determinants are presented. An empirical phase has also been undertaken, involving interviews with practitioners from a diverse range of social enterprises around the city of Glasgow and employing methods of data analysis and theory building inspired by the critical realist philosophical stance. The study culminates in the construction of an empirically informed conceptual model, which maps plausible causal pathways between engagement with social enterprise-led activity, through to improvements in health and wellbeing. The results of this study are considered to not only encourage a broader and more imaginative consideration of what actually constitutes a public health 'intervention', but also implies that the Third Sector and other 'non-obvious' actors have an important role to play in addressing contemporary and future public health challenges.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:687403 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Roy, Michael J. |
| Publisher | Glasgow Caledonian University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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