ABSTRACT
We are living in a period of complex social reorganisation. Globalisation of economies and responses of governments to these changes have created dilemmas for community organisations and social activists. Faced with issues of unemployment and poverty, and reduced state resources and programmes, community groups have found new approaches. Yet at the same time, they recognise that that they cannot overcome these problems on their own and have redefined relations with the government at a local level. We have chosen two practices that illustrate the tensions and contradiction implicit in these new approaches. The first is a community restaurant, part of a wider practice referred to as ‘Industries d’Insertion’ (Bordeleau and Valadou 1995), which while administering a workfare programme has played a leadership role in the debate on poverty and the social economy. We have chosen this because it was one of the first projects that attempted to integrate a community business, a socially useful product and a training programme. Its pioneering role and success have allowed it to play a leadership role in both the local community and in the wider practice networks.
