Exploring the economic impact of institutional entrepreneurship, social Innovation, and poverty reduction on carbon footprint in BRICS countries: what is the role of social enterprise?

Case synopsis The use of entrepreneurship to deliver profound social impact is a much-needed but poorly understood concept. While social enterprises are generally well understood, there is a considerable need to have a more common approach to measuring the different ways they create social value for us as well as to reduce the difficulties of starting and growing them in the difficult conditions of developing countries. In the northeast of Nigeria, for example, the mammoth challenge of rebuilding communities in an unfavorable entrepreneurship environment makes the need for a solution even more urgent. This case study illustrates a model of promoting entrepreneurship that advances the conditions of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in local communities using a configuration of the key theories of social impact entrepreneurship (variants of entrepreneurship with blended value or mission orientation, including social entrepreneurship, sustainable entrepreneurship and institutional entrepreneurship). The extent to which ventures can adjust and improve the extent of their contributions to the SDGs are shown using examples of three entrepreneurs at different stages of growth. From this case study, students will be able to understand how entrepreneurs can identify and exploit social impact opportunities in the venture’s business model, within the network of primary stakeholders as well as in the wider institutional environment with the support of Impact+, a simple impact measurement praxis. Learning objectives The case study envisions training students how to hardwire social impact focus in the venture’s business model (social entrepreneurship), how to run ventures with minimal harm to the environment and greatest benefit to stakeholders (sustainable entrepreneurship) and how to contribute to improving the institutional environment for social purpose entrepreneurship (institutional entrepreneurship). At the end of learning this case study, students should be able to: 1. discover an effective model for a startup social venture; 2. explore options for managing a venture sustainably and helping stakeholders out of poverty; and 3. identify ways to contribute to improving the institutional environment for social impact entrepreneurs. Social implications For students, this case will help in educating them on a pragmatic approach to designing social impact ventures – one that calibrates where they are on well-differentiated scales. For business schools, entrepreneurial development institutions and policymakers, this case study can help them learn how to target entrepreneurial development for specific development outcomes. Complexity academic level The case study is preferably for early-stage postgraduate students (MSc or MBA). Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Over the past years, institutional theory has become an increasingly utilized theoretical lens for social entrepreneurship (SE) research. However, while there is a rapid growth of SE research that employs an institutional perspective, researchers have yet to systematically understand the wide-ranging application of institutional theory to SE study. Thus, a review of existing SE literature that employs institutional theory seems warranted and timely. Accordingly, we initially review the current use of institutional theory in SE research based on 101 peer-reviewed articles published between 2008 and 2020. More specifically, drawing on four critical institutional perspectives that have long been used in entrepreneurship research (including institutional context, legitimacy, institutional logic, and institutional entrepreneurship), we provide the first comprehensive analysis of the uses of institutional theory in SE literature. We then offer a comparative analysis of the application of institutional theory to SE and commercial entrepreneurship based on these four institutional perspectives, especially considering the similarities and differences between social and commercial entrepreneurship. Based on our review, we finally identify gaps in the existing SE study and provide several promising avenues for future SE study, as well as contribute to advancing institutional theory development.

Institutions are critical economic pillars that influence not only growth but also the distributional outcomes that affect the speed of poverty reduction. High variability in the extent of policy and trade benefits creates large disparities and makes the role of institutions more pervasive. In this light, this study aims to investigate the impact of governance and trade openness on poverty reduction in BRICS countries from 1991 to 2019. For this purpose, the study uses the dynamic common correlated effect method with a recursive mean adjustment approach to analyse the relationship among the heterogeneous panel variables with cross‐sectional dependence. The system generalised method of moments (GMM) instrument variable approach confirms the consistency of the results. Further, the study applies the Dumitrescu–Hurlin causality test to determine the causal relationship between variables. The findings show that trade openness and economic growth effectively reduce poverty in BRICS. Trade benefits the poor by raising their income. However, the negative effects of governance on poverty reduction dilute these benefits through a weakened trickle‐down effect. In addition, income inequality creates a negative impact on poverty reduction, which widens the poverty gap in the BRICS countries even further. The consistency of the results is confirmed by the system GMM instrument variable approach. As a result, it is recommended to ensure better regulatory practices that improve the quality of governance and address any structural inequalities directly.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of institutional entrepreneurship in opportunity formation and opportunity exploitation in developing emerging strategic new industries. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the focal literature focussing on institutional entrepreneurs’ role in opportunity formation with special attention to opportunities for institutional entrepreneurs in emerging economy. A multi-method approach consisting of historical case studies and event sequencing is applied to track the historical development of the solar energy industry in two case contexts and to investigate the role of institutional entrepreneurs in this process. Findings – Investigation of two cases illustrates that different types of institutional entrepreneur, as represented by individual entrepreneurs and local government, in the context of massive institutional change – such as the Grand Western Development Program and the Thousand Talents Program in China – have varied effects on triggering and inducing institutional change and innovation to explore and exploit opportunities in emerging new industries. Practical implications – The significance of local context for the nature and scope of institutional entrepreneurship in emerging economy is worthy of further research. The top-down process of institutional innovation dominated by local government might cause myopic outcome and distortion of market opportunities. Indigenous individual entrepreneurs with well-accumulated political capital and strong perceived responsibility could be the main actors to introduce incremental institutional change by combining bottom-up and top-down processes and promoting sustained new industry development through creating and seizing institutional opportunities and market opportunities. Originality/value – This paper illustrates the close relationship between institutional environment and opportunity formation in emerging economies, contributes to the understanding of contextualizing institutional entrepreneurs in different regional contexts and discloses the problems involved in local government acting as an institutional entrepreneur.

Purpose The present study explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in reducing carbon footprints and promoting sustainable economic growth in the BRICS countries from 2013 to 2023. Design/methodology/approach The study used slope heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependencies in panel data from the BRICS countries and the CIPS unit root test. The short- and long-term impacts of AI investment, energy transition, economic growth, and value added from industry and agriculture on the carbon footprint are examined using the PMG/ARDL technique. FMOLS and DOLS methods ensured the accuracy of the long-run outcomes. The PMG/ARDL framework’s error correction method captures the short-run dynamics, and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin test establishes a causal link. Findings The research highlights a significant reduction in carbon emissions driven by energy transition and agricultural productivity. While economic growth boosts BRICS economies, it also raises emissions in the short term. Interestingly, long-term AI investment and industrial value-added are linked to higher carbon footprints. The Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel causality test confirmed that agricultural productivity influences industry output and economic growth. Energy transition causally relates to the industry. Additionally, better AI investment in BRICS economies is a result of growing economic growth. Practical implications The policy implications emphasise the promotion of renewable energy and sustainable technologies to mitigate AI-induced emissions in BRICS countries. Governments ought to endorse clean energy research and development, implement adaptable environmental legislation, and promote artificial intelligence in value-added industries to secure sustainable economic growth while mitigating environmental damage. Originality/value This study expands novel insights regarding the significance of artificial intelligence (AI) in reducing carbon footprints and promoting sustainable economic growth in the BRICS countries. Although previous research has mostly focused on how economic factors affect carbon footprints, this study is an infrequent attempt to determine how energy transition and AI investment (over 1.5 million US dollars) influence carbon footprints, thereby increasing environmental quality.

As the search for a stable definition of social enterprise/entrepreneurship continues among academics (Dacin et al., 2011), this paper explores a different angle to the debate, concerning SE identity. Previous research has shown the inherent ambiguity and complexity at play within organisational identities, and SE is unsurprisingly similar in this regard (Jones and Keogh, 2006). The play of meaning within and between the very notion of the ‘social entrepreneur’ has prompted many to acknowledge the presence of SE-activities within other types of non-profit organisation. This paper contributes to this debate by determining the presence (and absence) of an SE ‘identity construct’ across a sample of third sector organisations (TSOs). Currently, research in this part of the SE research landscape adds a very interesting angle to the popular and enduring development of SE ‘meanings’ (Jones et al., 2008, Seanor and Meaton, 2007). Indeed, a steady stream of critical studies of SE have emerged in recent years which have begun to unpick the various strands emanating from a frenzied period of activity in the global interest in SE and social enterprises (Curtis, 2008). Furthermore, academics continue to debate the effects of agency/structure on SEs, as well as the institutional influences determining either way (Battilana et al., 2009). Consequently, such work has centred on the emergence of institutional entrepreneurship (IE) in the SE conceptual space as an explanation for the variety inherent within the SE concept (Dacin et al., 2011). Therefore, there are two central research questions under investigation in this study: first, can we convincingly argue the SE refers solely to certain TSOs (i.e. social enterprises), or is SE best understood across many different TSO types? Secondly, can we locate the presence of such SE exclusivity by measuring TSO attitudes to a SE identity ‘construct’? Since such a construct does not exist, I develop one based on the recent alignments between SE and IE (Dacin, et al 2011). Based on a survey of 1200 voluntary and community sector organisations in the United Kingdom (UK), I sequentially employ exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA) to understand whether and to what extent SE-traits are indeed present within TSOs. This technique, used comparatively for the first time in this area, allows for the confirmation of components within, and discriminant validity between, constructs. The measurement scale was developed following a review of the social and institutional entrepreneurship literatures, isolating three core identity ‘components’: shared vision; mobilisation of resources; and institutional values. The five-item scale was then articulated into scale-based attitudinal response questions, and tested for reliability and internal consistency (DeVellis, 2003, Hendrickson et al., 1993). Analysis shows that there are some enduring identity traits between SEs and TSOs in the UK, and the EFA approach offers a significant empirical insight into the location of these traits in TSOs. Elements of all three core components were found to be significant in the study sample: the need for innovative social responses, the strength of social vision, and attitudes to public sector constraints to growth and access to capital. The CFA component shows a high level of discriminant validity between the three constructs, showing that the three constructs each measured separate facets of SE identity. Thus the study identifies areas of core similarity between SEs and TSOs, which contravenes the view that social entrepreneurship is a distinct and separate domain. Furthermore, the paper provides a major empirical contribution to the SE literature through the development of a new scale for measuring SE identity. The findings add weight and specificity to the SE meaning debate, by showing with some confidence where and how SEs and TSOs align. This quantitative study was undertaken with the view that it might confirm (or indeed disconfirm) assumed links between the two broad organisational categories. Consequently, I hope that further research should necessarily lead to qualitative, in-depth investigation between SEs and TSOs, and adds insights into both fields.

Achieving sustainability through Schumpeterian social entrepreneurship: The role of social enterprises

Gender is relevant in the context of social entrepreneurship because women are key to poverty reduction strategies, given how their poverty or empowerment affects communities. Economically active women benefit communities and have the means to engage in social entrepreneurship. In Africa social entrepreneurship research includes the role of social enterprise in filling institutional voids, lifting communities from poverty, meeting social needs arising from disease and post-conflict situations and linking commercial and not for profit mechanisms in hybrid organisations. Social entrepreneurship overlaps with female entrepreneurship because women’s other-centric initiatives and concern with improving others’ lives, enables them to be called hybrid social entrepreneurs. Collaboration by institutions and women entrepreneurs would strategically direct and enhance their other-centric efforts and impact on community for greater socio-economic development.

Purpose This study examines how digital transformation moderates the relationship between Sustainable Business Practices and digital transformation. Specifically, it aims to clarify whether and how Carbon Footprint strengthens or weakens the impact of digital transformation on Sustainable Business Practices. Design/Methodology/Approach Using panel data from 250 UK‐listed companies over the period 2012–2022, we apply multiple regression analyses to test both the direct effects of digital transformation on Sustainable Business Practices and the moderating role of digital transformation. Findings The results indicate that digitalization has a positive and statistically significant impact on the implementation of sustainable business practices among European firms. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that the carbon footprint acts as a significant moderating variable, strengthening the relationship between digitalization and sustainability. Specifically, firms with lower carbon footprints tend to derive greater sustainability benefits from digitalization compared to high‐emission firms. Originality/Value This research addresses a critical gap in European sustainability studies by contextualizing digitalization within carbon‐intensive sectors. The integration of carbon footprint as a moderator reflects the growing importance of emission accountability under EU regulations such as the CSRD and the European Green Deal.

The implementation of educational policies is often related to entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurship policies have become the newest phenomenon in Malaysia in the country's attempts to reduce and eradicate poverty. Until today, there is limited knowledge on how social entrepreneurship can become a catalyst for a community's economic advancement and closing the social gaps within the society. This paper aims to explain further and provide knowledge regarding social entrepreneurship as a strategy to enhance national higher education policies. Through extensive literature analysis, social entrepreneurship is placed within the context of higher education institutions in implementing ethical and moral values. This conceptual framework encompasses the concept of economic development, social development of a community, social entrepreneurship principles, the less fortunate, and the role of the suggested higher education institution. This paper will contribute to future literature regarding social entrepreneurship and can help the entrepreneurial system as they establish social enterprises based on real solutions for communities. The results of this research are expected to assist various parties, such as academics, policymakers, social entrepreneurs, government and private companies, and the community, in better understanding social entrepreneurship. It will also spread the impact of social entrepreneurship into the existing social entrepreneurial education system in Malaysia. Therefore, the discussions around the social entrepreneurship model will measure whether social entrepreneurship has been carried out to its fullest according to the fundamental concept of overcoming and helping solve social problems, exceptionally the less fortunate.

This chapter describes the Innovation Institute, a program developed and tested by the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) to provide opportunities for high school students, including many from groups underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers, with learning opportunities and support to help them engage with the world around them, find personal connections to STEM, express their voices, and take action. Program participants use thinking and making skills to identify community problems that interest them and employ computational tools to develop a product or program to address these problems. In the process, they find personal connections to STEM, express their voices, and take action. This chapter explains the three core components of the program's underlying theoretical model – social entrepreneurship, design thinking, and computational making in which youth apply "computational thinking" approaches from engineering and computer science to design and make things they see as useful and meaningful. The chapter describes the development and implementation of the Innovation Institution and includes a case study of a participant. It also discusses preliminary research findings on the program, including findings about creating an inclusive environment by emphasizing self-efficacy, invitation, and choice.

This study looks into the complex interactions that exist between Indonesian Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and training, hiring, employee engagement, social entrepreneurship performance, sustainable business practices, and the social impact on local communities. The study employs Structural Equation Modeling (SEM-PLS) through a quantitative analysis encompassing 487 MSMEs to explore a broad range of hypotheses. The findings highlight the paradoxical relationship that exists between sustainability and training, underscoring the necessity for HR procedures to be approached with delicacy. High employee engagement and successful hiring emerge as key factors that influence the performance of social entrepreneurship and sustainable business practices. Moreover, the research highlights the positive effects of MSMEs involved in social entrepreneurship on sustainable practices and the larger community, underscoring the connection between sustainability and social entrepreneurship. While the practical consequences direct strategic HR planning and the reform of training programs, the theoretical implications cover the advancement of Sustainable Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the enrichment of social entrepreneurship theory. The research offers significant perspectives for MSMEs aiming to harmonize HR procedures with sustainability goals and promote constructive societal influence.

This article discusses social transformation and poverty alleviation, these are the two main challenges in community development. The role of the socialpreneur, who is a social entrepreneur, has great potential in creating positive change in the context. Socialpreneurs can play a role in overcoming poverty problems through microfinance institutions. Socialpreneurs can use innovation, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit to identify pressing social problems and find sustainable solutions. The author uses qualitative methods, with secondary data analysis, sourced from books, journals and articles related to this discussion. The results of his research stated that poverty is a serious problem that endangers scarcity, health and education. Islam encourages its followers to avoid poverty, and Islamic microfinance institutions are effective in reducing poverty. The integration of social entrepreneurship in microfinance institutions helps maintain a balance between profitability and social impact. Measures such as poverty-focused services and business training support social transformation and poverty alleviation. Socialpreneurship allows individuals to run a business while contributing to social change. The millennial generation views this as a way to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In efforts to eradicate poverty through socialpreneurship, sociological and anthropological perspectives help understand cultural values, social interactions, and the influence of stigmatization on poor communities.

Sustainability in the food-energy-water nexus: Evidence from BRICS (Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa) countries

Social Entrepreneurship and COVID‐19