Inclusive and Democratic Business Models (IDBMs); such as community and social enterprises, co-operatives, employee-owned businesses, development trusts are central to building a fairer, greener, and more resilient economy.
To strengthen collaboration across these models, we have convened IDBM Alliance Scotland. This new alliance brings together membership and representative bodies to:
share intelligence and evidence across the IDBM landscape;
advocate for supportive policy and funding environments;
champion pluralism and protect the distinctiveness of each model; and
collaborate on practical actions that grow impact across Scotland.
Current member organisations of the IDBM Alliance Scotland include:
Co-operatives UK
Development Trusts Association Scotland (DTAS)
Employee Ownership Association (EOA)
Scottish Rural Action
Social Enterprise Scotland (SES)
workers.coop
The Alliance has agreed its Terms of Reference and has just appointed it’s first chair, Neil McInroy.
Neil McInroy is a leading international figure in social and economic policy, known for his ability to move fluidly between the mainstream and the margins—working both within and beyond economic orthodoxy. With over two decades of experience, he has operated inside government and institutional structures while also challenging them from the outside, advocating for deeper, more democratic alternatives to conventional economic thinking.
He is currently the Global Lead for Community Wealth Building at The Democracy Collaborative, a U.S.-based research organisation, where he supports inclusive ownership strategies and systemic economic reform across the United States and globally. Neil previously served as Chief Executive of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES), led pioneering work on local economies and public sector innovation, and is Chair of the Economic Development Association Scotland (EDAS). He also advised the Scottish Government as a part-time seconded adviser, helping shape national policy on Community Wealth Building and inclusive business models.
Neil has chaired strategic initiatives including the Scottish Government’s review into Inclusive and Democratic Business Models and the Shetland Islands Energy Transition Taskforce. He has advised governments, anchor institutions, and philanthropic foundations across the UK, U.S., South Korea, and Australia, and continues to be a leading voice in radical social innovation and inclusive economic development worldwide.