In the two years since taking on the role at Social Enterprise UK I have given more speeches than I ever thought possible, and in a fair few I've espoused Britain as a world leader on social enterprise and promoted the opportunities for export. If I'm honest I've sometimes feared I was guilty of hyperbole, but as more invitations to travel the world have arisen I've become much more certain that we really are leading the way. Of course that's not to say that other countries aren't just as passionate for the economic reform and positive social change that social enterprise can bring.
In March, I went to Tokyo to celebrate reaching a certain age. I discovered that the rise of Japan's social enterprise sector was driven by circumstance rather than ideology. After decades of state-led development, the Japanese economy faltered. A reduction of state funded third sector provision and a decrease in corporate philanthropy acted as a catalyst for the growth of Japanese social enterprises.
Culturally, businesses in Japan have always had a strong social ethos evidenced by principles such as Nemawashi and a long tradition of collective success against a culture of individual reward. With a strong commitment made by Japanese corporates to society and a culture that upholds long-term shared value, the gap in which social enterprise could thrive was perhaps narrow. But more recently globalisation and an ebbing away of some of these principles has meant that there's a fightback occurring in which social enterprises are playing a part.
From Tokyo to Istanbul, I attended a social enterprise conference with representatives from across Europe. I heard people from the Balkan States speak of communities trapped in poverty desperate to work and develop an economic base from which prosperity may flow. Supported with aid investment, primarily from the US, increasing numbers of agricultural social enterprises are offering flexible employment, particularly to women, and new opportunities for wealth creation and social change. People from Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria were united in recognising that the principles of social enterprise could help the growth and recovery of their nations, developing economic opportunity in a way that would ensure that their communities benefitted.
I've recently returned from a three-week speaker tour to China and New Zealand, organised by the British Council, which is quietly developing some brilliant programmes around social enterprise behind the scenes – and genuinely buying into the ethos too. I found the interest in (and appetite for) social enterprise in China varied against the enormous challenges the country faces. The People's Republic knows that expectations from its population are growing at a faster rate than the state can solve and that its demographic time bomb will need to be tackled quickly. There is every chance that China will become old before it becomes rich enough to provide the necessary health and social care infrastructure that will help avoid civil disquiet.
Witnessing what has happened across the developed world, China is not keen on amassing a vast state infrastructure and (most likely) unsustainable provision. It's equally keen to avoid foreign private sector interests exploiting its welfare markets and rapidly growing wealth.
But a number of China's corporates are interested in creating social value and the Republic's growing voluntary sector is also eager to develop its own resilience by moving towards social enterprise models. China needs to create such models – fertile soil to allow the social enterprise movement to really grow. People I met on the tour told me that there's a fear that its current limited options of state or private models of incorporation do little to protect against corruption and abuse.
My arrival in New Zealand created hysteria, or so I thought. As I came out of the airport to a sea of screaming girls, I, for a jet lagged moment, thought I was some kind of social enterprise pin-up. Then I glanced back to see the members of the boy band One Direction walking behind me.
Needless to say, while they hung out by the hotel pool, I attended events from dawn 'til dusk.
While many of Europe's economic woes are not being felt as sharply in the southern hemisphere, there is a political shift occurring that is very similar to the UK experience. A sharp contraction in the role of the state has left many third sector organisations vulnerable and searching for new ways of generating income. Just like the UK, many traditional charities and community groups are already very entrepreneurial and diversifying their income generation.
The people I met in New Zealand see the opportunity of social enterprise as one that provides liberation and independence from the state. Most who I spoke with are keen to build a similar profile and policy framework in which social enterprise can achieve the potential that its sector leaders believe it may have.
After my recent travels, I can't help but think that we've got a much bigger and wider responsibility. We have to continue to push social enterprise forward and to open doors, not just for the UK but for our friends across the world. People I met were genuinely impressed by the achievements of the UK's social enterprise sector and the progress we've made in the last 10 years. SEUK will soon be hosting a visit from officials in Thailand, including their deputy prime minister, keen to find out more about social enterprise. We'll also be sharing our knowledge and learning at the Social Enterprise World Forum in Rio later this year, the largest ever with more than 40 countries attending, which surely goes to show that the movement is developing into a global force to be reckoned with.
Peter Holbrook is chief executive of Social Enterprise UK
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