Social economy as the substratum of the new possibilities of entrepreneurship in rural areas

The study asks whether sustainable entrepreneurship, based on communal needs, can be created and developed in the atypical market situation of rural areas. Operational models are sought within social economy, where profit seeking is replaced by other benefits yielded by entrepreneurship, such as the preservation or improving of communal services, the tending for nature or the cultural environment becoming possible, or some other need related to the quality of living and the vitality of communities.

The study plumbs the meaning and potential of entrepreneurship in social economy as a future alternative of rural areas. Case descriptions and expert estimations are used as the data for the future examinations and enquiry material on young people’s attitudes towards entrepreneurship is collected and analysed.