This study estimates the impact of social entrepreneurship on poverty in Indonesia and its regional variation. Using Susenas and Sakernas 2014 and 2017, Social Entrepreneurship Index (SEI) is constructed at the provincial level aggregating social, economic and environmental dimensions. Key findings show the social dimension is declining while economic and environmental dimensions rise; SEI slightly declines with Java-Bali-Kalimantan leading while Eastern Indonesia lags; urban-rural SEI disparities persist; and higher SEI reduces poverty rates. The study recommends prioritizing investment in Eastern Indonesia, strengthening the social dimension, and adopting differentiated urban-rural strategies for environmental and economic improvements.
Social ventures operate at the intersection of business and social mission, facing competing institutional logics and scarce resources while striving to generate sustainable social impact. To navigate these challenges, leadership plays a crucial role in enabling team processes that foster creativity and innovation. Building on the resource-based view and the dynamic capabilities framework, this study examines how empowering leadership - characterised by delegation, autonomy and participative decision-making - enhances team creativity and innovation in social ventures. Specifically, we test a sequential mediation model in which empowering leadership influences team innovation through team dynamic capabilities and team creativity, controlling for servant leadership. Data were collected from social ventures operating in Brazil. Results indicate that empowering leadership positively affects team dynamic capabilities. The indirect effects of empowering leadership on both creativity and innovation were also significant. These findings highlight empowering leadership as a critical trigger of adaptive and creative team processes that sustain innovation in social ventures.
This study investigated the role of social entrepreneurship in advancing sustainable livelihoods and reviving traditional craftsmanship in the Kashmir Valley, India. A survey was conducted among 238 artisans and social entrepreneurs engaged in tourism-related activities. The results indicate a statistically significant positive relationship between artisan empowerment and well-being, suggesting that empowerment serves as a key mechanism through which tourism social entrepreneurship enhances social and psychological outcomes among artisans. This investigation extends the application of the sustainable livelihood framework by examining the role of tourism social entrepreneurship in shaping artisan empowerment and community well-being within the specific context of Kashmir.
This research reconceptualises entrepreneurial motivation by positioning emotions as observable 'read-outs' of underlying motivational systems. Through mixed-content analysis combining corpus-level automated analysis of 547 European social entrepreneurs' life stories with qualitative analysis of a representative subset of 4 cases, and drawing on Plutchik's eight-emotion framework, results demonstrate that all basic emotions systematically appear across entrepreneurial narratives, with trust, anticipation, and joy most prevalent. Findings reveal that negative emotions catalyse initial social awareness while positive emotions sustain long-term commitment. The analysis provides a unified theoretical framework resolving emotion-motivation conceptual fragmentation, establish a replicable mixed computational and manual qualitative methodology for analysing entrepreneurial narratives at scale, and offers practical insights for entrepreneurship education and policy by establishing emotional literacy as core competency for social venture creation.
This article examines how social entrepreneurship and the coordi-nation of entrepreneurial ecosystem actors (ecosystem coordina-tion) enhance food security and rural resilience in Bangladesh by developing mechanisms through which coordinated support pro-motes sustainable livelihoods. A qualitative multiple-case study across three agro-ecological districts, Gaibandha, Bogra and Bhola draws on 25 in-depth stakeholder interviews analysed thematically using a resilience-cycle framework integrating sustainable produc-tion, livestock management and income diversification. Findings show that social entrepreneurship operates as an institutional bridge that builds trust, mobilises resources and restructures mar-ket access. However, outcomes depend on the degree of coordina-tion across ecosystem actors. Where financial, policy and training systems are aligned, social enterprises catalyse sustainable produc-tion and reinvestment loops; when fragmented, they perpetuate vulnerability and debt dependence. This study advances social enterprise and ecosystem theory by conceptualising ecosystem coordination as a dynamic capability and offering design principles for trust-based interventions that support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 2 and 8.
Measuring social impact is essential in social enterprises, yet adoption of formal measurement remains uneven. Drawing on social bricolage and organisational accountability theories, we examine how organisational and individual factors shape adoption. Using survey data from social enterprises, we find that formal measurement is more likely with investor influence, grant funding, strong strategic management, and learning orientation, but less likely with debt financing and perceived financial barriers. Adoption is also more common in earlier organisational stages. The findings show how financing, strategy, and learning orientation shape impact measurement and offer implications for practitioners and funders seeking greater accountability and transparency.
Social enterprise offers a pathway to strengthen financial resilience for non-profit organisations (NPOs) facing mounting financial pressure, whilst maintaining their social purpose. Yet, little is known about how established NPOs transition under resource constraints. This study analyses a 12-year transformation of a rural South African NPO using qualitative event history analysis of 449 events. Applying the Organisational Transformation Cube, we identify four phases: formation, crisis catalyst, commercial integration, and transformation realisation. We find that transition often unfolds unevenly, with experimentation preceding consolidation. Under constraints, this lag enables testing of viability and legitimacy, offering a process-based explanation for NPO-to-social enterprise transformation.
This study explores how Tunisian social entrepreneurs identify and develop opportunities in a transitional, post-2011 context. Based on 18 case studies across different regions, it proposes a four-phase process: community immersion, cross-sector learning, institutional validation, and network scaling. The findings highlight how entrepreneurs strategically use bonding, bridging, and linking social capital at each stage. Key transitions show the importance of adapting to evolving institutional conditions. The research contributes a grounded model explaining opportunity recognition in emerging economies and offers practical insights for entrepreneurs, support organisations, and policymakers aiming to strengthen Tunisia's social innovation ecosystem.
This study explores the critical success factors (CSFs) that contribute to brand growth and sustainability among social enterprises. Focusing on how social enterprises build brands that effectively communicate their hybrid value proposition, balancing social mission with market viability, this research employs the Gioia methodology with 29 in-depth interviews across diverse sectors in India. Findings reveal that social enterprise branding is a multi-dimensional process shaped by four core dimensions: Core Purpose & Impact, Value Proposition & Delivery, Stakeholder Engagement & Communication, and Ecosystem Integration & Legitimacy. These dimensions are interconnected through cross-cutting enablers of Leadership & Culture and Adaptability & Resilience. The study contributes to social entrepreneurship literature by providing a contextually relevant framework for understanding brand success in hybrid organisations. Practical implications include guidance for social enterprise leaders on balancing mission and market in brand development, and for ecosystem builders on supporting effective branding strategies. The research highlights that successful social enterprise branding involves social purpose, authentic engagement, and contextual fit within larger ecosystems, offering a roadmap for building brands that effectively communicate hybrid value propositions in emerging economies.
This study examined how religious and secular social entrepreneurs' (SEs) social and perceived role identities shape their prosocial motivations and resource mobilization strategies. The findings revealed that religious SEs were motivated by strong in-group commitment, viewing their role as a sacred calling and seeing God as an active, transcendent stakeholder. They employed a communal-personal others orientation, characterized by a community-driven logic. Conversely, secular SEs were motivated by universal social justice values and a self-chosen calling. They employed a communal-impersonal others orientation, with a strong emphasis on mission-driven logic. These findings clarify theoretical links between SE identities, prosocial motivations, and behaviors.
How does economic inequality impact the level of social entrepreneurship in a society? Drawing on institutional anomie theory, this paper examines how rising economic inequality influences individual engagement in social entrepreneurship across diverse countries, cultures and economic contexts. Using multilevel data from 83,089 individuals in 22 countries, we show that cultural conditions shape whether social entrepreneurship emerges as a creatively deviant response to inequality-driven anomie. Our findings highlight social entrepreneurship as a stress-relieving mechanism that helps societies adapt to shifting institutional and cultural environments. This study advances institutional anomie theory by demonstrating that social entrepreneurship can function not only as a deviant response to anomie but also as a constructive adaptation that channels societal strain into prosocial innovation.
Social purpose organisations (SPOs) - including social enterprises (SEs) and nonprofits - face constant tension between social missions and financial imperatives. This dual pursuit exposes them to mission drift (MD), where priorities deviate from founding values, undermining impact and legitimacy. Despite significant attention, MD remains conceptually fragmented and poorly measured, limiting theory and practice.This study explores how MD can be conceptualised and measured to reflect the balance between social and commercial goals. It introduces and validates an 18-item, five-dimensional MD scale for hybrid organisations. Drawing on Resource Dependence and Organisational Identity theories, and informed by Institutional Logics and Paradox Theory, the research combines a systematic literature review, a three-round Delphi study and a survey of 187 SPOs in Saudi Arabia.The scale captures five dimensions - mission stability, inclusive governance, social impact assessment (SIA), personnel management and social entrepreneurial orientation (SEO) - addressing both adaptive and erosive forms of MD. By operationalising an abstract concept, this study advances hybridity theory and provides a diagnostic tool for leaders, funders and policymakers to monitor and mitigate MD.
This study examines how mission agility enables social enterprises to sustain their operations and social missions in the face of exogenous shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. By incorporating exogenous shock theory, the paper develops a conceptual framework that explains how social enterprises generate novel responses while maintaining operational continuity during crises. Exogenous shock theory describes how sudden, large-scale disruptions compel organisations to reconfigure strategies to preserve core objectives and respond effectively to external uncertainty. The methodological contribution of this study lies in the innovative integration of grounded theory with artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 social enterprises from Malaysia and the United States. The data were analysed using a custom-built AI-assisted procedure designed to computationally confirm patterns identified through qualitative analysis rather than to generate new themes. This hybrid approach strengthens analytical rigour and transparency while preserving the interpretive depth of grounded theory research. The findings reveal that mission agility plays a central role in sustaining social enterprises during crises, supported by social and technical innovation and the formation of smart partnerships. This study offers unique theoretical insights into social entrepreneurial sustainability and human-AI collaboration in analysing complex social phenomena.
Research on social entrepreneurship in the developing countries remains limited, particurlarly in post-democratic transition contexts. Drawing on cross-sectoral case studies upon 7 social entrepreneur organisation-spanning agriculture, ecology, microfinance, health, and the creative industries-this study examines how Indonesian sociopreneurs navigate institutional voids. . , . It highlights the strategic use of social trust, cultural values and local political relations, with particular attention to tthe latter's ambivalent role both as an enabling and constraining force organizational autonomy. Given the findings, we argue that social innovation in developing countries reflects context-specific alternatives shaped by social, cultural and political boundaries, rather than Western replication..
This study aims to contribute to the literature on social entrepreneurship by examining the factors influencing female students' intentions to engage in social entrepreneurship in Oman, an emerging economy. Drawing on Institutional Theory and the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) Theory, the research investigates how individuals' general knowledge about social issues and their values shape their motivation to engage in social entrepreneurship. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Data were collected from 320 female students across public and private universities in Oman. The proposed conceptual model was examined using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that general knowledge of social issues and values has a direct impact on the intention to engage in social entrepreneurship. Serial mediation analysis confirms that these effects are transmitted indirectly through a sequential path involving problem awareness, outcome efficacy, and personal norms. The results suggest that knowledge about societal issues is more effective than personal values in promoting social entrepreneurship among Omani female students. This insight provides strategic direction to educational programs, international collaborations, and policies to foster social entrepreneurship in Oman. And offer valuable insights into designing more inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems, as well as effective CSR activities. This study breaks new ground by applying the institutional theory and VBN framework perspective from a Muslim-majority emerging economy to make entrepreneurship research more inclusive and culturally relevant.
The past decade has seen extensive research on social entrepreneurship intention (SEI) and its antecedents, including the entrepreneur's personal values. However, few studies have examined the dynamics of values at different levels of social entrepreneurship (micro, meso, and macro). This work employs the theoretical framework of the economies of worth to highlight the dynamics of SEI within the context of implementing a support system. This research contributes to the literature on SEI by revealing the importance of micro, meso, and macro interactions in the dynamics of social entrepreneurs' values. It also offers managerial implications.
This study examines how Indian social enterprises navigate persistent paradoxes through jugaad, a culturally embedded logic of frugal, flexible, and inclusive innovation. Drawing on case studies of Aravind Eye Care System and Dr. Shroff Charity Eye Hospital, we identify five recurring practices: frugality, adaptive innovation, social inclusivity, community engagement, and ethical decision-making. Unlike formal mechanisms emphasised in Western contexts, these grassroots practices emerge from local values and improvisation, forming a coherent innovation logic that sustains economic, social, environmental, and ethical goals. The study extends paradox theory to the Global South and reframes jugaad as a systematic, replicable pathway to sustainability.
Social entrepreneurship research and practice have long emphasised its potential in precipitating system change, yet this research has remained fragmented and focused on isolated levels of analysis. In this conceptual study, we develop a novel, integrative framework by applying the Multi-Level Perspective theory to social entrepreneurship research, using microfinance as an illustrative case. In doing so, we theorise innovations in social entrepreneurship as multi-level, multi-actor processes through which social entrepreneurship unfolds. Specifically, our framework privileges a systemic view by emphasising the alignment of supportive and opposing forces across levels and among actors, which together determine the pathways of system change.
The 'Impact Investments market' in India is expanding as a result of stakeholders' focus over the last decade, but the growth has been slow due to investors' reluctance to invest in social enterprises and the need for stimulation or motivation to push them towards financing social enterprises. The purpose of this study is to identify the drivers of the Intention of Impact investors to invest in social enterprises. A standardised questionnaire was used to survey 327 impact investors. The results indicate that all the examined factors (Social Entrepreneur's Attributes, Social Consciousness of the impact investor, Goal Congruency between the Impact Investor and the Social Enterprise and perceived risk) have a notable impact on the intention of impact investors to invest in social enterprises. The research also deduces that attitude plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between the identified factors and the intention to invest in social enterprise. Additionally, this study also investigates trust in social enterprises as a moderating variable in the relationship between attitude and investment intention. While a statistically significant interaction was found, the effect was modest, indicating that trust plays a supportive but not dominant role in this relationship.
