Barriers to Developing Social Entrepreneurship in NGOs: Application of Grounded Theory in Western Iran

Abstract

The most appropriate type of entrepreneurship to achieve the goals of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is social entrepreneurship (SE). However, the NGOs face many barriers in their SE that should be studied. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to assess the barriers to development of SE in NGOs of Kermanshah province in Western Iran using a qualitative paradigm along with the method of grounded theory. Using purposeful and theoretical sampling, 12 cases were selected. The techniques used for data collection were open questionnaires (unstructured), individual depth interviews, and taking notes. The findings showed that the most important barriers to the development of SE in NGOs of Kermanshah province include cultural-social, economic, educational, infrastructure, communication-information, management, psychological, legal-policy, and supportive barriers. These barriers have resulted in the phenomenon of SE underdevelopment among NGOs of Kermanshah province. Moreover, these barriers have played a major role in the failure of the process of solving the social problems of the province of Kermanshah, which eventually has led to the underdevelopment of its status. These barriers should be controlled, adjusted, or even eliminated. Finally, based on the findings and in order to overcome these barriers, some recommendations were presented.