Mainstreaming business support targeted at disadvantaged communities

This Report aims to lay the foundations for criteria which can be used to assess the feasibility of mainstreaming targeted business support initiatives. This will require first, a ground clearing exercise on the concept of mainstreaming, and second, an assessment of these characteristics when applied to five case studies which have experienced some form of mainstreaming. This literature and empirical based approach should help in establishing criteria for gauging the appropriateness and viability of targeted initiatives for mainstreaming. The report then draws on interviews with representatives from four sub-national mainstream bodies in order to understand how initiatives for disadvantaged groups and areas are developed.