Daniella Audivet, journalist and researcher, defended her doctoral thesis on 11 February at the University of Valencia entitled ‘Entrepreneurship linked to the social economy in rural areas at risk of depopulation in the Valencian Community’. The thesis was supervised by Professor María José Vañó Vañó, director of the University Institute for Research in Social Economy, Cooperativism and Entrepreneurship (IUDESCOOP).

The international panel was chaired by Deolinda Meira, Professor of Commercial Law at the Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto (Portugal); Elena Meliá, Director of the Department of Economics and Social Sciences, and member of CEGEA at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and Gustavo Zaragoza, Professor at the University of Valencia.

According to the author, the main objective of this research is to analyse the ecosystem of entrepreneurship linked to the social economy in rural areas, taking as a reference the resources provided by the public administration and the entities representing the Social Economy in the Valencian Community.

In addition, this study arises from the participation in the I Edition of the Rural, Active and Sustainable Entrepreneurship Programme (UVemprén RURAL), which allowed her to do an internship in the Mancomunidad de Alto Turia and its development is framed in the TED project ‘Self-consumption communities: key in the energy transition’ (POWERCOOP) and the EEE3S+ project - Erasmus+ School of Social Entrepreneurship.

The research is structured in three chapters, each focusing on the key elements that entrepreneurs in rural areas need to consider.

The first chapter analyses the structure of the rural environment, entrepreneurship as a driver of economic and social development, and its link with the social economy. This sector stands out as the most suitable for driving progress in these areas.

The second chapter examines the reality of the rural environment, as well as the perception of its challenges and opportunities from the perspective of public administration and representatives of the social and local economy.

The third chapter explores the experience of entrepreneurship centres as entities close to social entrepreneurs. In addition, key strategies for those wishing to start their business activity in rural areas are addressed, including communication, social responsibility and public-private collaboration.

In the conclusions of the document, Audivet explains that social entrepreneurship is key to sustainable development, as it puts people at the centre and combines economic growth with social and environmental impact. Law 5/2011 on the social economy provides a legal framework for this type of initiative, especially in rural areas.

However, the author stresses that rural entrepreneurship in the Valencian Region faces barriers such as lack of training, infrastructure and access to finance.

To overcome these challenges, it is considered necessary to strengthen public policies, foster public-private partnerships and promote social responsibility in social entrepreneurship. In addition, digitalisation, transparency and communication are key tools to boost these projects.

This research is, in the words of Audivet, ‘a tool to contribute to the construction of a more cohesive and prosperous rural environment, as well as an opportunity to understand the rural environment of the Valencian Community and develop policies and projects that put people at the centre’.

Entrepreneurship linked to the social economy, concludes the new doctor, not only boosts the local economy, but also strengthens the social fabric and promotes environmental balance in rural municipalities that require special attention.

The thesis can be consulted at the Roderic repository of the Universitat de València: here