INVISIBLE CHANGEMAKERS IN INVISIBLE COMMUNITIES – THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN PLACE AND “EVERYDAY ENTREPRENEURS” IN THE REINVENTION OF SMALL RURAL TOWNS

Abstract

Whilst historic entrepreneurship studies have focused on heroic, high growth businesses, there is increasing interest in the small business entrepreneurs we encounter in our daily lives (Welter et al., 2017). This phenomenon has been referred to as “everyday entrepreneurship” and is prevalent in all communities creating social as well as economic impact. There is an evident gap in knowledge as whilst entrepreneurship has been recognised as creating change (Gedeon, 2010), it has not been historically considered as a key contributor to community development (Lyons et al., 2012).

With the decline of agricultural employment and the pressures of globalisation, rural places are facing significant change (OECD, 2006) and are often characterised as “left behind places” (Martin et al., 2021) and invisibilised. Despite operating in the periphery (Anderson, 2000), the small towns researched are defying the rationale of their spatial position and do not fall foul to the cycle of depletion (McKeever et al., 2014).

If community reinvention is the outcome of collective action, the questions within this thesis are what role everyday entrepreneurship plays in this process and how the context of place and policy supports and develops entrepreneurship.

This thesis identifies the specific practices of entrepreneurs that animate the community – providing support and care. It considers the importance of context, demonstrating the interplay between the materiality, meaning and practices of place (Cresswell, 2009) and the resources available to entrepreneurs. It demonstrates the disconnect between universal national government policy and the place-based needs of local communities and illustrates how the meso level of local government facilitate neo-endogenous development.

Finally, it demonstrates that everyday entrepreneurship is important, has societal impact and suggests why policymakers, academics and communities should reconsider how they define and encourage entrepreneurship as it can be a powerful tool for change.