The Singularity of Social Entrepreneurship: Untangling its Uniqueness and Market Function
By: Roundy, Philip T
Contributor(s): Bonnal, Michael
Material type:
TextPublisher: Journal of Entrepreneurship 2017, SeptemberDescription: Subject(s): Entrepreneurship | Social Entrepreneurship | Social Enterprise | Social Innovation | Externalities | Social WelfareOnline resources: Click here to access online Summary: Social entrepreneurship is an activity that is receiving intense scrutiny
from scholars, practitioners and policymakers. However, research is
only beginning to explore the unique function social entrepreneurs fill
in the marketplace. This conceptual article examines if social entrepreneurs
indeed represent a novel category of market actor. Building on
prior work claiming that the unique function of social entrepreneurs is
the creation of positive externalities and generation of spillover benefits
for society, we compare social entrepreneurs with conventional entrepreneurs
and other entities that seek to increase social welfare, including
governments and traditional nonprofit organisations.Specifically, we contend that the strengths of social entrepreneurship are its reliance
on voluntary exchange, promotion of dignity and self-sufficiency in beneficiaries,
attunement to the signals of the marketplace and ability to
tap into consumer spending. We also uncover the limitations of social
entrepreneurship, which include the challenge of combining multiple
institutional logics, the existence of social issues around which viable
businesses cannot be built, dependence on consumer demand and competitive
disadvantages relative to conventional businesses. We discuss
the implications of our conceptualisation of social entrepreneurship for
practitioners, policymakers and future research.
| Item type | Current location | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode |
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Articles
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Ahmedabad (HO) | Available | AR164 |
Social entrepreneurship is an activity that is receiving intense scrutiny
from scholars, practitioners and policymakers. However, research is
only beginning to explore the unique function social entrepreneurs fill
in the marketplace. This conceptual article examines if social entrepreneurs
indeed represent a novel category of market actor. Building on
prior work claiming that the unique function of social entrepreneurs is
the creation of positive externalities and generation of spillover benefits
for society, we compare social entrepreneurs with conventional entrepreneurs
and other entities that seek to increase social welfare, including
governments and traditional nonprofit organisations.Specifically, we contend that the strengths of social entrepreneurship are its reliance
on voluntary exchange, promotion of dignity and self-sufficiency in beneficiaries,
attunement to the signals of the marketplace and ability to
tap into consumer spending. We also uncover the limitations of social
entrepreneurship, which include the challenge of combining multiple
institutional logics, the existence of social issues around which viable
businesses cannot be built, dependence on consumer demand and competitive
disadvantages relative to conventional businesses. We discuss
the implications of our conceptualisation of social entrepreneurship for
practitioners, policymakers and future research.
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