Enabling social entrepreneurship internationally: An entrepreneurial ecosystem perspective

Abstract

International social ventures become important sources of innovations and social change in the developing and least developed countries. Building on literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems, institutional theory, and international business theory, this study explores the enabling conditions for social entrepreneurial activity in the international domain. Using Spigel (2017) relational framework of a regional entrepreneurial ecosystem, on the example of Boston, we identify that research networks of region-based universities and NGOs with counterparts in developing world, “global citizen” orientation of regional resource-holding audiences, and interlinks of regional actors with transnational foundations and development organizations create and reproduce environment supportive of international social entrepreneurs. Findings have important implications for researchers and policy-makers in the fields of entrepreneurial ecosystems, social entrepreneurship, and bottom-of- the-pyramid markets.