TEN YEARS OF SOCIAL ECONOMY IN MONTREAL ANALYSED THROUGH THE WORK OF LOCAL DEVELOPMENT AGENTS

Abstract

This article focuses on the evolution of a specific role within the new economy in Quebec, that of local development agents in Montreal. Since 1998, when the government started this project with the aim of supporting regional economies, the practice of these agents has evolved. The authors, reflecting on their work and on future challenges, present the key activities carried out by the local development agents, such as consultancy services for entrepreneurs or collective talks with the different socio-economic local actors. Ten years later, some of these roles are loosing their importance – for example, the social economy counselor – while others are becoming more relevant. The article highlights some of the recurring and new challenges for local development agents and suggests that the agents themselves have a certain margin of manoeuvre for addressing them.

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