Understanding the durability of community enterprises in England. Results of a fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Despite increasing attention on how community enterprises support community well-being and public services, we know little about how durable they are to sustain their activities. Previous research has studied individual conditions for durability, ignoring the intricate interplay between these conditions. Based on literature on community enterprises, we identified five key conditions for durability. Using semi-structured interviews with representatives of 19 community enterprises, this article aims to better understand the interplay between these five conditions affects community enterprises’ durability. A fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis revealed ‘aligned entrepreneurial culture’ as a necessary condition and identifies two configurations of conditions sufficient for durability.