Social enterprise, health, and wellbeing: a timely topic for uncertain times?

Organisations combining commercial and social missions have been with us for centuries, but in the recent decades, we have seen governments explicitly promoting ‘social enterprise,’ often on the basis that they are recognised as a key welfare policy instrument for transitioning individuals and communities out of disadvantage. The purpose of this book is to provide a comprehensive overview of research focused on the links between social enterprise, health, and wellbeing and to stimulate interest in generating the next wave of research in this field. In this chapter, we introduce and discuss the concept of social enterprise and its emergence; summarise the evidence about social enterprise, health, and wellbeing; highlight why this is a significant topic with important avenues for further exploration; and introduce and discuss some of the most significant themes that recur throughout the book.