Nigel’s research interests lie in furthering the development of sustainable local economies through entrepreneurial ecosystems that embrace a variety of enterprise types and a broad range of sustainable business models and practices. He is particularly interested in the role of cooperatives, employee ownership, and other alternative businesses as key building blocks of such an economy.
Nigel is experienced in qualitative, case study-based research methods, including transdisciplinary and participatory approaches. This has entailed working with local government, non-profit, and business partners in ‘living labs’ to engage with entrepreneurs, small businesses, and community groups on learning and development projects or ‘experiments’.
Current research topics include:
- Sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems – functions and their development
- Sustainable business practices – assessment, transfer and scaling
- Cooperative and employee-owned businesses – sustainability impact on local economy and community
- Sustainable local food economies
