This book explores what this civic economy looks like in all its diversity, how these initiatives can grow, and what makes them possible.
This publication presents 25 case studies to deepen our understanding of the civic economy and to give a glimpse into its huge potential.
Key findings:
- The civic economy is a real and growing part of the places and communities of our everyday lives. It contributes to innovation and to shared prosperity.
- All those working together to improve places and their economies, whether in the public, private or third sector, can create the fertile ground for the civic economy to flourish.
- Localities need to get better at recognising the role of civic entrepreneurs and at understanding what they need to create change in a range of contexts.
The civic economy has huge potential to affect our everyday lives. It is described in this report as ‘combining the spirit of entrepreneurship with the aspiration of civic renewal’, and is founded upon social goals while using collaborative approaches to development, production, knowledge sharing and financing. In this way, the civic economy generates goods, services and infrastructures that neither the state nor the market economy have been able to accomplish.
This book explores what this civic economy looks like in all its diversity, how these initiatives can grow, and what makes them possible. It shows the wide range of protagonists driving new ventures, analyses their different characteristics and draws out lessons of how to strengthen this potential.
Authors
Nesta, the Design Council and 00. Foreword by the Prime Minister, David Cameron
