Clustering Social Enterprises: A Taxonomy Based on Self-perceptions of Social Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Typologies of social entrepreneurship are primarily based on conceptual considerations and case studies. There is a need for quantitative approaches and empirical testing of this emerging organizational form and its characteristics. This article closes this gap by analyzing which definitional aspects of social entrepreneurship literature correspond to the self-perception of social entrepreneurs. As a result, based on a cluster analysis (N=70), we provide an empirically validated taxonomy with three social enterprise types: Social Service Providers, Social Change Makers and Social Philanthropists.