Dr Leandro Sepulveda is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research (CEEDR), Middlesex University Business School. He has nearly twenty years' experience on policy-oriented research specialising in enterprise and social and economic development. His current research interests include social economy and public services (including social enterprises, charities, cooperatives and mutuals); population diversity and economic development (including migrant and ethnic enterprise), and SME development in developed and developing countries. His work in the UK has been commissioned by public agencies including H.M. Treasury, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Office for Civil Society (OCS), research councils such as the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and EU funded programmes such as EQUAL and Horizon2020. Leandro worked in Latin America as a Senior Researcher at the National University of General Sarmiento (UNGS), Institute of Industries, and as an external consultant for the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC-UN). Leandro has authored a number of reports, book chapters and journal articles, including in Entrepreneurship & Regional Development; Environment and Planning A; European Urban and Regional studies; Local Economy; Policy & Politics; Regional Studies; Social Enterprise Journal; Social Policy & Administration, and Revista CEPAL(ECLAC-UN) Buenos Aires. Overall the research projects which Leandro has lead and/or been involved in are committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity in research particularly in relation to sensitive variables such as gender, age and ethnicity as well as socio-economic background and geographical representation.
Here is a 1-minute video of some of my recent research
Spanish (native)
English (fluent)
Portuguese (working knowledge)
Italian (working knowledge)
Leandro currently supervises the following doctoral students:
Jude Kenechi Onyima
Thesis title (provisional): Transnational Nigerian Entrepreneurs
Email: JO714@live.mdx.ac.uk
Perihan M. Abdelghaly
Thesis title (provisional): SMEs and corruption in Egypt
Email: PA585@live.mdx.ac.uk
Yuka Yoon
Thesis title (provisional): Ambidexterety in social ventures: The paradox of missions, profits and funding
Email: yuka.yoon@gmail.com
Dr Stanislaus Iroefe Maduka
Thesis title: 'An examination of SME Finance in Nigeria'
Email: madukastan@ymail.com
Dr Anthony Ayakwah
Thesis title: 'Internationalisation of agro-processing SME clusters in Ghana'
Email: A.Ayakwah@mdx.ac.uk
Dr Valentina Morretta
Thesis title: 'Understanding the relationship between local resources and firms’ performance: an investigation across Italian territories'
Email: VM429@live.mdx.ac.uk
Dr Isaac Oduro Amoako
Thesis title: 'SME Exporting Determinants: The Power of Institutions on Networking and Performance in a Developing Country'
Email: odumako56@yahoo.co.uk
Dr Sara Calvo
Thesis title: 'Ethnic minority related social enterprise and the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Legacy'
Email: S.Calvo@mdx.ac.uk
Dr Daniel Ozarow
Thesis title: 'Study of the Phenomenon of New Poors in Argentina'
Email: D.Ozarow@mdx.ac.uk
Sepulveda, Leandro, Lyon, Fergus and Vickers, Ian (2020) Implementing democratic governance and ownership: the interplay of structure and culture in public service social enterprises. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. ISSN 0957-8765 (Accepted/In press)
Morretta, Valentina, Syrett, Stephen and Sepulveda, Leandro (2019) Territorial capital as a source of firm competitive advantage: evidence from the North and South of Italy. European Planning Studies. ISSN 0965-4313 (Accepted/In press) (doi:10.1080/09654313.2020.1722067)
Poy, S. and Sepulveda, L. (2018) Inequality and Poverty Reduction and the Limits of Social Protection Systems: The Case of Argentina during the Stage of Economic Expansion 2003-2014. H2020-INCASI Working Paper Series 2018, number 5. https://ddd.uab.cat/record/199391
Haddock-Millar, J., Sanyal, C., Kaye, N., Sepulveda, L., Owen, R. and Syrett, S. (2018) Monitoring and Evaluating Business Mentoring: Towards a Research and Evaluation Toolkit to Measure Impact, International Journal of HRD Practice Policy and Research, 3 (2) 35:47. ISSN 2397-4583
Sepulveda, L., Lyon, F. and Vickers, I. (2018) Social Enterprise Spinouts: An institutional analysis of their emergence and potential. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, DOI 10.1080/09537325.2018.1431391.
Ayakwah, A., Sepulveda, L. and Lyon, F. (2018) Competitive or cooperative relationships in clusters: A comparative study of two internationalising agro-processing clusters in Ghana, Critical Perspectives on International Business. DOI10.1108/cpoib-12-2016-0063.
Vickers, I., Lyon, F., Sepulveda, L. and McMullin, C. (2017) Public service innovation and multiple institutional logics: The case of hybrid social enterprises providers of health and wellbeing. Research Policy. Doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.08.003.
Sepulveda, L. (2015) Social Enterprise - A new phenomenon in the field of economic and social welfare? Social Policy & Administration. 49 (7): 842-861.
Sepulveda, Leandro and Lyon, Fergus and Vickers, Ian (2020) Implementing democratic governance and ownership: the interplay of structure and culture in public service social enterprises. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations , 31 (3). pp. 627-641. ISSN 0957-8765
Morretta, Valentina and Syrett, Stephen and Sepulveda, Leandro (2020) Territorial capital as a source of firm competitive advantage: evidence from the North and South of Italy. European Planning Studies . ISSN 0965-4313 (Published online first)
Haddock-Millar, Julie and Sanyal, Chandana and Kaye, Neil and Sepulveda, Leandro and Owen, Robyn and Syrett, Stephen (2018) Monitoring and evaluating business mentoring: towards a research and evaluation toolkit to measure impact. International Journal of Human Resource Development: Practice, Policy & Research , 3 (2). pp. 35-47. ISSN 2397-4583
Sepulveda, Leandro and Lyon, Fergus and Vickers, Ian (2018) 'Social enterprise spin-outs': an institutional analysis of their emergence and potential. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management , 30 (8). pp. 967-979. ISSN 0953-7325
Ayakwah, Anthony and Sepulveda, Leandro and Lyon, Fergus (2018) Competitive or cooperative relationships in clusters: a comparative study of two internationalising agro-processing clusters in Ghana. Critical Perspectives on International Business , 14 (2/3). pp. 230-251. ISSN 1742-2043
Leandro has worked on a number of ESRC and EU funded research projects and programmes.
The Guardian – Guardian Professional/Social Enterprise Network, cited in article entitled 'Avoiding the Perception of social enterprises as a magic wand' published on 25/11/10 by Saba Salman.
Social Enterprise and Equalities, funded by Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) and Social Enterprise Capacity Building Cluster (CBC), with GlobalNet21. Organising team and podcast on 24/05/12. The project seeks to rise awareness among policy makers about both the potential and limitations of social enterprise in addressing Equality issues in England by share ideas, experiences and concerns with academics and public in general through podcast, webinars and a seminar in the House of Commons (Equality Commission) in June 2012.
Referee for the following peer reviewed academic journals:
Policy & Politics; Entrepreneurship & Regional Development; Journal of Public Policy; International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research; Public Management Review; and Social Enterprise Journal.
Reviewer for:
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); Leverhulme Trust; and European Research Councils - Open Research Area In Europe For The Social Sciences (ORA).