Prof Fergus Lyon

Director of Social Enterprise Research Capacity Building Cluster funded by the ESRC

Department: Business and Management

Fergus Lyon

Contact

Qualifications

BA Hons, MSc, PhD

Research Interests

  • Social Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurship
  • SMEs, Entrepreneurship and Business Support
  • Trust, Networks and Clustering of Enterprises
  • Markets and Entrepreneurship in Delivery of Public Services
  • Market Institutions and Poverty in Less Developed Countries
  • Role of Businesses and Social Enterprise in Regeneration of Deprived Areas
  • Relationships between SMEs and the Scientific Community

Research Supervision:

  • Supervision of PhD Students on social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, SMEs and Networks, Ethnic Minority Business, SMEs in less developed countries and SME Internationalisation
  • Manager of Research Projects

Biography

Fergus Lyon is a Professor of Enterprise and Organisations in the Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research, Middlesex University, UK. His research interests include social and community enterprises, provision of public services by social enterprises, clustering and networks of enterprises, ethnic minority enterprise, and enterprise support policy. Recent funders include the Economic and Social Research Council, Office of the Third Sector, HMT, DBERR, DEFRA, DFES, CLG/ODPM, East of England Development Agency, South East of England Development Agency, Commission for Rural Communities, and Department for International Development. In 2007 he was seconded to the Prime Ministers’ Strategy Unit (Health team) in the Cabinet Office. Currently he is the social enterprise lead on the £10m Third Sector Research Centre funded over five years by ESRC and Office for Civil Society. Previously he has carried out research in Ghana, Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Nepal. He is also a founder and director of a social enterprise preschool. He is on the editorial board of the Social Enterprise Journal and Journal of Trust Research. Fergus has over 120 publications including 30 substantial reports for policy makers funded by UK and international donors, 18 papers in established international journals, 17 book chapters, a number of shorter policy briefings and a two books on social research methodologies. He started his academic career at University of Durham after working for the UK’s Department for International Development. He has a PhD from University of Durham and a masters degree from the School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia.

Recent Publications (since 2000):

Refereed articles in Academic Journals

  • Porter, G, Lyon, F, Adamu, F and Obafemi, L (2010) 'Conflict and Cooperation in Market Spaces: Learning from the Operation of Local Networks of Civic Engagement in African' Market Trade Human Organization 69, Number 1: 31 - 42
  • Lyon, F and Sepulveda, L (2009) 'Mapping social enterprises: past approaches, challenges and future directions'. Social Enterprise Journal 5, 1: 83-94.
  • Lyon, F and Porter, G, (2009), "Market institutions, trust and norms: exploring moral economies in Nigerian food systems", Cambridge Journal of Economics, 33,5 903-920
  • Lyon, F and Ramsden, M (2006) 'Developing fledgling social enterprises? A study of the support required and the means of delivering it' Social Enterprise Journal 2 (1) pp 27-41.
  • Lyon, F, (2006), "Managing co-operation: Trust and power in Ghanaian associations", Organization Studies, 27 (1), 31-52, ISSN: 01708406.
  • Lyon, F and Porter, G, (2006), "Groups as a means or an end? Social capital and the promotion of cooperation in Ghana", Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 24 (2), 249-262,ISSN: 14723433.
  • Lyon, F, (2003), "Trader associations and urban food systems in Ghana: Institutionalist approaches to understanding urban collective action", International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 27 (1), 11-23, ISSN: 1468-2427

Other Publications:

Papers in Refereed Journals:

  • Harris, F, Lyon, F and Clarke, S (2009) 'Doing interdisciplinarity: motivation and collaboration in research for sustainable agriculture in the UK'. Area 41, 4, 374 - 384
  • Lyon, F, Sepulveda, L and Syrett, S (2007) 'Enterprising Refugees: Contributions and Challenges in Deprived Urban Areas', Local Economy 22, 4, 363-376
  • Porter, G, Lyon, F and Potts, D (2007) 'Urban food-supply in Sub-Saharan Africa in the twenty-first century: the role of trading intermediaries and market institutions'. Progress in Development Studies 7( 2) 115-34
  • Lyon, F (2003) 'Group co-operation and agricultural market access in Ghana' Community Development Journal 38 (4) 323-331
  • Lyon, F. (2000) 'Trust, networks and norms: The creation of social capital in agricultural economies in Ghana', World Development 28, 4 pp.663-682

Authored Books:

  • Lyon, F et al (March 2011), 'Hanndbook of Research Methods on Trust', Edward Elgar: Cheltenham, UK and Brookfield, USA
  • Lyon, F. and Bertotti, M. (2007) 'Measuring the contributions of small firms to reducing poverty and increasing social inclusion in the UK' in Wankel, C'Innovative Approaches to reducing global poverty'. Information Age Publishing.
  • Lyon, F., Porter, G. , Adamu, F., Obafemi, L. (2006) 'The Nigerian market: Fuelling conflict or contributing to peace' in Banfield, J., Gunduz, C. and Killick, N. (eds)'Local business, Local peace: The Peace Building potential of the domestic private sector' London; International Alert
  • Smallbone D., Lyon F. and Xiao Li (2005) 'Trust, Co-operation and Networking in an Immigrant Business Community: the Case of Chinese-Owned Businesses in the UK', in Hohmann H.H. amd Welter F. (eds)'Trust and Entrepreneurship: a West-East Perspective', Edward Elgar: Cheltenham, UK and Brookfield, USA

Refereed and Published Conference Proceedings:

  • Lyon, F (2009) 'Social enterprises, cooperation and competition: Frameworks for understanding interorganisational relations for the delivery of public services in the UK', International Social Innovation Research Conference, 14-16 Septmber 2009, Said Business School, University of Oxford
  • Vickers, I, Lyon, F and North, D (2009) ‘Removing barriers and unlocking enterprise in targeted support for disadvantaged groups’ Paper presented at the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship Conference, Liverpool, November 2009
  • Murdock, A and Lyon, F (2009) 'Crossing boundaries and building capacity in social enterprise research' Paper presented at the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship Conference, Liverpool, November 2009
  • Lyon, F, McPherson, M and Baldock, R (2007) 'Generational Differences in Ethnic Minority Business – re thinking business support'. Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Glasgow, November 2007
  • Lyon, F and Harris F (2007) 'Collaborative research projects- building trust across professional and disciplinary cultural boundaries'. European Group for Organisation Studies Conference, Vienna July 2007
  • Lyon, F (2007) 'Social enterprises in health and social care: prospects and challenges'. Social Enterprise Research Conference, July 2007, London South Bank University.
  • Lyon, F (2007) 'Innovation amongst entrepreneurial organic farmers: building on processes of learning and informal research'. Paper presented at 5th Rural Entrepreneurship Conference, University of Lincoln, Feb 2007
  • Lyon, F (2007) 'Pushing entrepreneurship into the provision of rural public services: responses of health and education providers to greater competition'. Paper presented at 5th Rural Entrepreneurship Conference, University of Lincoln, Feb 2007
  • Syrett, S, Sepulveda, L and Lyon, F (2007) ‘Enterprise and Diversity: Competitiveness and Cohesion in the Global City’, European Urban Research Association Conference 2007 ‘The Vital City’. University of Glasgow, Scotland, 12-14 September.
  • Lyon, F et al. (2006) 'Enterprising refugees: their impact, constraints and lessons for support providers'. Paper presented at Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship 29th National Conference , Cardiff, UK Oct-Nov 2006.
  • Lyon, F (2007) 'Social enterprises in health and social care: prospects and challenges'. Social Enterprise Research Conference, July 2007, London South Bank University.
  • Lyon, F (2007) 'Collaborative research projects- building trust across professional and disciplinary cultural boundaries'. European Group for Organisation Studies Conference, Vienna July 2007.
  • Lyon, F, McPherson, M and Baldock, R (2007) 'Generational Differences in Ethnic Minority Business - re thinking business support'. Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Glasgow, November 2007.
  • Lyon, F and Sepulveda, L (2008) 'Mapping social enterprises: past approaches, challenges and future directions'. Paper prepared for the Social Enterprise Research Conference, London South Bank University.

Research Projects:

  • 2008-2013 Social Enterprise Research Capacity Building Cluster (ESRC and Office of civil society) Director of £1.25m programme working with Durham and London South Bank Universities)
  • 2008-2013 Third Sector Research Centre - lead on Social Enterprise Research Programme (funded by ESRC and Office of civil society)
  • 2009-2011 Social Enterprise Investment Fund Evaluation, commissioned by the Department of Health with Birmingham University, Oxford University and Shared Intelligence Ltd.
  • 2009-10 Evaluation Of Innovation Exchange Brokerage Model, for Innovation Exchange, funded by OTS, Cabinet Office
  • 2009-2010 Social Impact Measurement – Public And Third Sector Commissioning, Procurement, Social Impact Measurement And Social Enterprise Development, funded by EEDA
  • 2009 Alternative Approaches To Capacity Building – Practices In The Public And Private Sectors, funded by Capacity Builders.
  • 2008 Review of research and data on SMEs and public service contracts
  • 2008 Mapping the regional social enterprise sector (South East England Development Agency)
  • 2007-8 Review of Economic Assessment and Strategy Activity at the Local and Sub-Regional Level (DCLG)
  • 2006-7 BME Businesses, Asylum Seekers and Refugees (South East England Development Agency)
  • 2006-7 Competition and choice in public services, (Commission for Rural Communities)
  • 2004-5 Improving market institutions and urban food supplies for the urban poor: a comparative study of Nigeria and Zambia, (Department for International Development)
  • 2003 -5 Evaluation of the Support for Enterprising Communities Pilot Project ( Department of Education and Skills)

Professional Membership:

  • Royal Geographical Society, Fellow (FRGS), Since 2003
  • Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Member, Since 2001

Links with Partner/Business Organisations:

  • Member of Expert Sub-group of the Glover Committee on the Role of SMEs in Public Procurement, Office of Government Commerce, H.M. Treasury 2008-9
  • Prime Ministers Strategy Unit, Cabinet Office. 2007 ESRC Placement Fellowship - April-October 2007
  • Honorary Senior Research Fellow, School of Business, University of Birmingham 2007-2010
  • Session organiser of two European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM) conferences (2005 and 2007) on'Trust within and between organizations'
  • Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Social Enterprise East Midlands, to support Social Enterprise and the Low Carbon Economy in the East Midlands;
  • KTP with London Early Years Foundation, looking at social enterprise models for early years provision;
  • KTP with The Guild, to develop enterprise support infrastructure and social impact measurement for social enterprises.
  • ESRC CASE studentships with Development Trust Association, Cooperatives UK, UnLtd, Crisis and Ethnic Minority Foundation
  • Presentations to social enterprises at various events eg Social Impact Measurement Conference 20 April 2010
  • Co-founder and director of a childcare social enterprise (2004 -present)
  • Director of a small diversified farming business (1993 - present)
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