Malu’s research explores social and green economies in cities and the alternative organisational forms that emerge in such ecosystems in response to austerity, societal and environmental needs. She focuses on the conditions for these organisations and new economies to thrive (e.g. cross-sector collaboration, network configurations, thematic overlaps) and the blurred identity of the hybrid organisations that emerge in these spaces, such as mission-led businesses, social enterprises and other alternative types of organisations. She is currently researching the Bristol ecosystem and also engaging in co-producing research with local and regional grassroots organisations, such as the Black South West Network on social enterprises within the BAME community and Knowle West Media Centre on the role of community-anchor organisations in fostering social enterprises within their communities.

Other research interests involve corporate social responsibility and sustainability standards, such as the B Corporation certification, as well as the governance and regulation of Amazon forest products and forest conservation (REDD and FSC).

Areas of interest
Hybrid organisations; Mission-Led Businesses; Social enterprises; Local and transnational networks; Stakeholder-oriented business models; Governance and Regulation; Sustainability standards; Qualitative methods.