Position: Research Fellow
Location: Room UH250, Stratford Campus
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8223 4139
Fax: +44 (0)20 8223 4282
Email: m.bertotti@uel.ac.uk
Contact Address:
School of Health and Bioscience
University of East London
Stratford Campus
Water Lane
London E15 4LZ
I am particularly interested and have relevant experience in developing academic research and practice in the context of urban deprivation and local economic development. In the last year, I have been actively involved in research on community engagement for the Well London, a Big Lottery funded £10m programme aiming at improving the health and well-being of people in 20 of the most disadvantaged areas of London. This work was conducted with about 1,400 people across 20 areas via the ‘world café’, a novel methodology to engage people from local communities. In addition to this, I am currently involved in academic research as well as signposting and advice to social enterprises. Academically, my work focuses on the impact of community cafés on community cohesion of disadvantaged urban areas. In terms of practice, through Well London, I provide advice and signposting to social enterprises.
Prior to this, I worked for about four years at CEEDR (Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research) where I was involved primarily on research on enterprise and local economic development. In particular, I have been involved in projects concerning the development of ethnic minority owned businesses, the impact of social enterprise on rural communities, and the contribution of enterprise to disadvantaged areas for a range of central government bodies including Small Business Services, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, and the Greater London Authority.
As part of a ‘case studentship’ in collaboration with the London Development Agency, I started and completed a doctorate examining economic competitiveness and governance in the context of urban deprived areas. I was also employed as a part-time visiting lecturer at Greenwich University, teaching international business to undergraduate students. I have relevant experience in quantitative as well as qualitative research conducting face to face and telephone interviews with business owner/managers and key informants.
I help the community engagement team to undertake community engagement work on the ground. So far this year, we have directly talked to and promoted Well London projects to about 992 people in 16 areas of London.
I also manage job brokerage and social enterprise for the Well London project. Job brokerage consists of referring people from WL areas into employment and training. I am currently working on referring about 76 people into employment. The work on social enterprise mainly includes the signposting and support for individuals seeking to set up a social enterprise. I am currently helping SLaM to set up its mental health training programme as a social enterprise.
I am also involved in the Stratford City Long Term Health Study which offers Newham PCT examples of good practice nationally and internationally for the improvement of health in Newham. This includes a literature review of national and international good practice of health in mixed communities.
Last, but not least, I have an ongoing commitment to writing articles for publications. I am currently writing a paper on the impact of social enterprise on building social capital drawing on empirical data from a research undertaken in Hounslow. I am also in the process of writing an analysis of public-private sector partnerships drawing on urban regime theory and notions of governmentality as well as an article about the meanings of community engagement in policy making.
Peer reviewed publications
Bertotti, M. Harden, A., Renton, A. and Sheridan, K (2011) “The contribution of social enterprise to building social capital in a disadvantaged area of London”, Community Development Journal, doi: 10.1093/cdj/bsr020
Bertotti, M. Adams-Eaton, F., Sheridan, K and Renton, A. (2010) “Key barriers to community cohesion: views from residents of 20 London deprived neighbourhoods”, GeoJournal, online version available at [http://www.springerlink.com/content/223l23w77j87um7r/]
Bertotti, M, Yu, G, Renton, A et al (submitted) “Bonding social capital and mental health: evidence from the Well London study in 40 disadvantaged areas of London”, European Journal of Public Health
Smallbone, D, Bertotti, M and Ekanem, I (2005) “Diversification in ethnic minority business. The case of Asians in London’s creative industries”, in Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol.12, No.1, pp. 41-56
Non-peer reviewed
Bertotti, M, Leahy, G and Sheridan, K (submitted) “To what extent do social enterprises measure their social and environmental impact?”, British Journal of Healthcare Management
Sheridan, K, Adams-Eaton, F, Trimble, A., Renton, A., Bertotti, M (submitted) “Community Engagement using World Café: The Well London Experience”, Groupwork and Wellbeing, paper for special issue of Groupwork
Lyon, F and Bertotti, M (2007) “Measuring the contribution of small firms to reducing poverty and increasing social exclusion in the UK” in Stoner, A F and Wankel, C (eds) “Innovative approaches to reducing global poverty”, Information Age Publishing Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina
In advanced draft (all peer reviewed publications)
Bertotti, M, Syrett, S “Private sector engagement in urban regeneration: the case of the City Growth Strategies in two London areas”, Urban Studies
Yu, G., Schmidt, E. Watts, P., Bertotti, M “A multilevel analysis of the effect of bonding social capital on leisure time physical activity: evidence from 40 disadvantaged areas in London, Health and Place
Adams-Eaton, F, Bertotti, M, Sheridan, K., Renton, A and Harden, A “Promoting health in deprived communities: learning from residents’ views and experiences using a world café methodology”, Journal of Community Psychology
Bertotti, M (2011) “Social Enterprises serving rural areas of England”, an analysis of social enterprises serving rural areas commissioned by the Social Enterprise Coalition
Bertotti, M (2010) “Social Enterprises serving rural areas of the UK”, an analysis of social enterprises serving rural areas commissioned by the Social Enterprise Coalition
IHHD (2008-2009) Well London project: improving health in 20 London disadvantaged areas, £10m Lottery funded project. Well London is a £10m Big Lottery funded programme aiming to improve health in 20 disadvantaged areas of London. I produced a number of community engagement reports and managed the social enterprise stream of the programme. I produced a guide to help target residents to set up social enterprises
Syrett S, Baldock R, Bertotti M, Lyon F, Vickers I, Etherington D, Engelbert S (2008) Review of economic assessment and strategy activity at the local and sub-regional level, a report for the Department for Communities and Local Government, Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research (CEEDR), Middlesex University
Lyon, F, Baldock R, McPherson M, Ekanem I, Ellis C, Bertotti M, Sepulveda L, Oyelere M (2007) “Types and Impacts of BME businesses”, final report to SEMEDA (South East Multi-Ethnic Development Agency) (cont)
Smallbone, D, Lyon, F and Bertotti, M (2003) “The contribution of Social Enterprise to rural economies and communities” a report for Department of Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Smallbone, D, Bertotti, M and Ekanem, I (2003) “Play it right. Asian in the Creative Industries in London”, a report for the Greater London Authority (GLA)
Vickers, I, Baldock, R, Smallbone, D., James P. Ekanem, I and Bertotti, M (2003) “Cultural influences on health and safety attitudes and behaviour in small businesses”, commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive
Lyon, F, Bertotti, M, Evans, M and Smallbone, D, Potts, G and Ramsden, P (2002) “Measuring enterprise impact in deprived areas”, a report for the Small Business Service
Bertotti, M (2010) “An exploration of the Index of Multiple Deprivation”, RAAK project seminar, June 2010
Bertotti, M (2010) “Community engagement: the experience of the Well London programme”, London School of Economics, seminar, February 2010
Bertotti, M (2009) “Social enterprise and early stage extra economic development barriers: the case of a community cafe’ in a disadvantaged area of London”, paper presented at the Second EMES International Conference on Social Enterprise, Trento, July 1-4, 2009
Bertotti, M (2008) “US-UK policy transfer in local economic development: the case of the City Growth Strategies”, paper presented at the Policy & Politics international conference entitled “Policy Transfer in a Globalising World”, 4th July 2008, Bristol
Bertotti, M and Syrett, S (2007) “Private sector engagement in economic urban governance: the case of the City Growth Strategies (CGS) in two London areas”, paper presented at the IBG-RGS conference, 31st August 2007
Smallbone,D, Bertotti, M and Ekanem I (2003) “Diversification in Ethnic Minority Business: The Case of Asians in London’s Creative Industries”, Best Paper on General Under-represented Groups’- ISBA 2003 Conference
Lyon, F and Bertotti, M (2003) “Enterprise in deprived areas: assessing the impact of different types of entrepreneurship on local economies”, paper presented at the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development Conference, April 2003
© 2010
Dr Marcello Bertotti presented results from his study on ’’The impact of a social enterprise on a disadvantaged area of London’’ at an international conference in Trento (Italy).
Some 200 researchers from 36 countries presented 90 papers, predominantly on theoretical concepts concerning the nature of social enterprise.
The conference was informative, particularly in terms of providing a useful theoretical framework for those studying social enterprises and provided a basis for understanding the ‘state of the art’ of the discipline across different countries. It also confirmed the need for much greater empirical analysis of social enterprises and the ongoing issue with its definition, while indirectly highlighting the privileged position of the UK in terms of attention towards the development of social enterprise policy and practice, in relation to other European countries.
Finally, whilst the conference was characterised by the presentation of a wide range of theoretical papers, there seems to be a need for more innovative conceptual tools to take forward the debate on social enterprise.
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