He was co-founder of Centre sur les innovations sociales (CRISES) and Alliance de recherche Universités/Communautés in social economy (ARUC-ÉS), organizations that he led until 2003. From 2002 until 2010, he chaired the International Scientific Council of CIRIEC International. Throughout his career, he led and published researches numerous publications on economic sociology, the Quebec model of development, the social economy, social transformations, governance and the regional and local development.