Social Entrepreneurship Support Research Articles

Responding to the imprecisions of social enterprise identity: considering the role of participatory governance

PurposeThis study aims to understand the importance of participatory governance in the identity of social enterprises (SEs). To this end, this paper provides a framework by means of the value co-creation process and by drawing from the service-dominant logic perspective and the stakeholder theory. An explanation is also provided regarding the opportunity to include fundamental issues in defining SE collective identity, such as those related to an organisation’s participatory nature of involving the stakeholders affected by its activities, the exercise of democratic decision-making and its autonomy from the state and market.Design/methodology/approachOn the statistical exploitation of a large international data set, the authors approach the conceptualisation of SEs by providing an index to measure their social, economic and governance characteristics, thereby enabling these enterprises to be categorised into different groups.FindingsThis study found that the inclusion of the governance dimension in the research incorporates the greatest variability between the various models of SE, thereby justifying participatory governance as the raison d’être of the two fundamental schools in SE, namely, Anglo-Saxon and European.Practical implicationsThis research offers a tool to policymakers to be used as a criterion of classification and hierarchical organisation for public procurement. It enables the various organisations to be ordered and takes social and cultural influence into consideration. This tool would be highly useful as a support of social entrepreneurship from the public environment, especially at the local level.Originality/valueThis study justifies the value of incorporating participatory governance as a distinctive dimension for the definition of categories of SEs. Furthermore, an index to craft taxonomies of SEs is developed based on social, economic and governance indicators, which provides a framework that facilitates the empirical research of the SE.

Digital technologies in the work of a social enterprise

Introduction. The paper examines the peculiarities of the functioning of social enterprises in the conditions of new economic and social challenges in Ukraine. Under these conditions, social entrepreneurship is gaining more and more popularity. It is developing faster as an inevitable response to a difficult economic situation and an effective mechanism for overcoming them. The purpose of the paper is the justification of the need and further use of digital technologies in the activities of social enterprises: outlining the ways and providing recommendations for their use. Results. The essence of a social enterprise focused on achieving a social effect from its activity is studied. The components of a social enterprise are distinguished: social problem, social values, social goal, self-sufficiency, innovation, community involvement, social influence, and social effect. For a social entrepreneur, the primary criterion for success is "social influence". Modern challenges require social entrepreneurs to use the latest digital technologies to develop and maintain their businesses. The advantages of using digital technologies at the micro level are the automation of processes, increased labor productivity, professional and creative HR growth, the creation of innovative products, and reduced costs. Accordingly, at the macro level, these are the development of innovative entrepreneurship, cooperation with the international community of social entrepreneurs, participation in social entrepreneurship support programs, the opportunity to get a place with low competition, and the opportunity to find change-makers in the territory. A number of active programs to support the development of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine recommended by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine are analyzed. Conclusions. The business component of social enterprises ensures their self-sufficiency and allows solving existing social problems. The use of digital technologies in the work of a social enterprise allows: optimizing enterprise costs, increasing the efficiency of business processes, elaborating production planning, improving customer service and taking a leadership position in the selected segment.

Building our understanding of social entrepreneurship ecosystems

ABSTRACT While the literature on conventional entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) is large and growing, relatively little has been written about social entrepreneurship ecosystems (SEEs). Yet, because social entrepreneurship is distinct from conventional entrepreneurship, it is reasonable to assume that their respective ecosystems differ in significant ways as well. How exactly do they differ, if in fact they do? Do a community’s EE and SEE interact, and, if so, in what ways? What system-level attributes make an SEE vibrant? What role do local social entrepreneurship support organizations play in SEEs, and what is their impact on social entrepreneurs and the social and economic fabric of the community? In this thematic issue, we curate a selection of articles that address these and other questions about SEEs and, in so doing, hopefully inspire more research on this important subject while helping to organize it into a cohesive body of research going forward.

Legal support of social entrepreneurship: regional and international experience

The search for understanding the essence of "social entrepreneurship" provides a unique opportunity for scientists and practitioners to study and rethink different concepts and assumptions from areas of business, law and management. This article puts forward a point of view on social entrepreneurship as a process that catalyzes social change and satisfies important social needs in such a way that direct financial benefits do not dominate in the work of social enterprises. It is believed that social entrepreneurship differs from other forms of entrepreneurship in the higher priority given to the promotion of social value, rather than obtaining economic benefits. The article examines the essence and concept of social entrepreneurship as an object of legal regulation, the practical experience of different countries in this direction, the assessment of the legal regulation of the sphere of social entrepreneurship and socially oriented business on the example of the Republic of Moldova, successful examples and practical recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the mechanisms for implementing socially oriented business projects.

REGULATIONS ON SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP: EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE

Support of social entrepreneurship is a promising area of economic and social development of Ukraine, while the domestic regulatory framework does not define the concept of social entrepreneurship, and therefore the formation of the necessary mechanisms of public administration to support it is problematic. This study analysed the understanding of the concept of “social entrepreneurship” in regulations and official documents of the European Union and EU member states, such as Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Romania, Slovenia, Finland, and the former UK member states; the common elements of this concept are established and the author's definition of social entrepreneurship is formulated as a proposal for use in the Ukrainian system of public administration and relevant regulations; the legal basis for the regulation of social entrepreneurship in the above countries is outlined for use in further research to determine the necessary mechanisms of public administration in the field of social entrepreneurship in the reintegration of servicemen, veterans of ATO / JFO and their families.

Legal Context and Support Incentives of Social Enterprises in Baltic Countries

Background: All three Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, faced similar historical contexts and challenges. Currently, Baltic countries have created a favourable environment for entrepreneurship and have an active civil society sector. However, the social enterprise sector in the Baltic states is very young and still developing. Baltic countries have great potential for developing and expanding social enterprises through various support infrastructures. The solutions implemented to support the development of social enterprises differ in all three countries.
 Research objectives: This article aims to identify social entrepreneurship support incentives in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
 Research design and methods: The paper uses literature review, document analysis, and comparative analysis results.
 Results: The study revealed that all three Baltic states are gradually taking steps towards establishing a social enterprise ecosystem. However, Estonia and Lithuania lack supportive legal frameworks and tax support systems for SEs. The development of supportive regulatory environments could help to grow the sector and solve many conceptual issues.
 Conclusions: The governments could, therefore, adopt a legal regulation and a clear definition of SEs to build a shared understanding of the field between all sectors and to implement future governmental strategies with identified coordinating structures, roles, and missions of SEs for far more successful collaboration.

Recommendation of Active Employment Policy Based on Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation: Social Entrepreneurship Support Model for Youth in Turkey

In this study, the social entrepreneurship support model will be designed in Turkey as an active employment policy proposal based on entrepreneurship and social innovation in the fight against youth unemployment. Within this framework, the model aims to organize a social entrepreneurship training program for unemployed youth and NEET (neither employed nor in education or training) youth by the Turkish Public Employment Agency (ISKUR). Based on this, it is envisaged that similar support to the ISKUR Entrepreneurship Training Program implemented by the state for young people will be implemented under the name of the Social Entrepreneurship Support Program in cooperation with ISKUR-KOSGEB and ASHOKA. The model also suggests to give financial and consultancy support for those who successfully complete training. This support is thought to be important for start-up social entrepreneurs. Finally, this study aims to discuss the possibility to implement a social entrepreneurship support model for youth in Turkey. Especially in terms of developing countries, the model is believed to be an alternative means of struggle with the fight against youth unemployment.

Взаимодействие государства и социального бизнеса в борьбе с социальными проблемами современной России

The article is devoted to the analysis of the development of social entrepreneurship in Russia. In modern realities, the participation of the private sector in solving social problems and supporting the population is a necessity, and one of the most striking manifestations of this is the functioning of social entrepreneurship. At the present stage, the support of social entrepreneurship by the state is gaining momentum, so it is important to consider possible ways of interaction between the state and business in solving pressing social problems.

Financial support of development and tools of financial support of social entrepreneurship

The purpose of scientific research is to analyze the process of financial support and to outline the tools of financial support for its development in modern conditions. The article considers the concept of social entrepreneurship as a phenomenon of the modern economic system of Ukraine. The point is that social entrepreneurship aims to ensure social, economic and environmental impact in communities. Social entrepreneurship must also solve social problems through a certain mechanism of economic activity, which is determined by innovation and systematic work. The methodological basis of the study is the theoretical justification of financial support for the development of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine and analysis of the tools of its financial support. The scientific novelty of the obtained results lies in the substantiation of the necessary measures of financial support in the activities and development of social entrepreneurship with outlining the effect of the use of financial resources at the regional level. Conclusions. The study found that in the context of permanent crises that occur in the country, it is necessary to take care of diversification of sources of financial support for the development of activities and the choice of effective tools for raising and regulating funds in social entrepreneurship. Successful financing of social enterprises in the state should result in employment (especially vulnerable categories of citizens) and ensuring quality social benefits in communitiesThe authors point out that the low level of protection of citizens in the social sense and regional unemployment are for the constant search for alternative sources of financing for social enterprises and the search for the latest tools for managing funds. The issue of financing social entrepreneurship by governmental and non-governmental organizations has been studied of Ukraine. The factor of influence of organizational and legal form of conducting economic activity on the process of financing and mechanisms of its realization is analyzed. Problems that slow down the development of social entrepreneurship in the country and prevent the effective use of available funds and alternative search for new ones are presented. Possible ways to finance social entrepreneurship are provided, shown by the example of crowdfunding crowdfunding is a non-refundable investment in the activities of social entrepreneurs. The effect of financing social entrepreneurship on filling the budgets of different levels is outlined. The optimal OPF of management and methods of financial development in the pre-crisis and post-crisis period are offered. Key words: social entrepreneurship, traditional business, financial provision, financial instruments, state support.

DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISE AS A TOOL TO ACTIVATE THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN AGRICULTURAL REGIONS OF UKRAINE

During the period of independence, the Ukrainian economy experienced various socio-economic problems that arose as a result of certain crisis phenomena. The most negative impact of the crisis has affected the standard of living of the population living in the agricultural regions of the country. In recent years, a new and quite effective tool for solving social problems of society has appeared in the world, which is called social entrepreneurship. That is why the work is devoted to the search for opportunities for the development of social entrepreneurship as a tool for activating the business environment of the agricultural regions of Ukraine. The relevance of activating the subject of social entrepreneurship for the development of the Ukrainian economy and the creation of a business environment in the agricultural regions of the country is substantiated. It has been established that social entrepreneurship is such a unique type of business that is aimed at solving social problems of society while simultaneously fulfilling the main goal of any entrepreneur's activity - making a profit. Based on a thorough analysis of the scientific works of Ukrainian researchers, the factors of development and important aspects of the implementation of social entrepreneurship projects, the prerequisites for the emergence and spread of it in Ukraine have been identified. The features of social entrepreneurship, its differences from socially responsible business are considered. The sufficiency and exhaustive legal and regulatory framework governing the activities of social entrepreneurs in Ukraine are characterized. The most relevant directions of development of social entrepreneurship in the agricultural regions of Ukraine are substantiated. The first direction chosen was the creation of new jobs using the latest approaches and labor technologies and ensuring a decent level of remuneration and working conditions. The second direction of social entrepreneurship is the formation of an order and the implementation of professional orientation for specific professional positions, which should correct the early choice of a future profession by young people with reference to their native area and will radically reduce the level of unemployment, youth unemployment and unemployment of highly qualified workers. The third direction in the implementation of projects and initiatives of social entrepreneurship in the agricultural regions has chosen to provide the population with sufficient volumes of high-quality goods and services at adequate prices. The content of successful examples of the implementation of the ideas of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine is given and characterized. The levers of the social entrepreneurship support mechanism at the state and regional levels are determined, which include propaganda, educational, psychological and emotional, financial.

Entrepreneurship in Jordan: the eco-system of the Social Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (SESOs)

This study aims at assessing the Social Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (SESOs) in Jordan with an updated eco-system reflecting the better resourced Social Entrepreneurship eco-system characterized with comprehensive information; covering the stakeholders’ identification data, ongoing projects and initiatives, work scope, and their targeted groups, accurate data based on a well-developed survey and analysis of the survey data by the authors’ experience in this filed. This study also aims at assessing the SESOs capacity by coincide their desired needs and their actual needs and limit the social innovation concept variation among the different institutions in the ecosystem. This study also provides a survey analysis for the Social Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (SESOs); as an attempt to identify their characteristics and roles in Jordan by adopting the methodology of qualitative and quantitative analysis approach. Results show that (57.89%) of the SESO’s in Jordan have dedicated programs that focus on women's inclusion, and that (68.42%) are hiring more than 50% in their staff. Besides that, results also show that (59.65%) of the SESO’s in Jordan did not dedicate programs for people with disabilities (PWD); which is a high portion in neglecting this segment of people. Besides that (54.39%) do not have designed facilities friendly using for people with disabilities. Moreover, results show that (73.68%) had dedicated programs for youth with different age groups, and (77.19%) of the SESO’s in Jordan had attempted to identify, understand, and actively removing barriers that exist for certain groups of young people in society. Moreover, (70.18%) of the SESO’s in Jordan had organized specific outreach mechanisms to identify, meet, engage, and/or serve different population groups. Finally, results show that (38.60%) of the SESO’s in Jordan had dedicated programs for refugees.

Best world practices of state support of social entrepreneurship and possibilities of their use in Russia

Best world practices of state support of social entrepreneurship and possibilities of their use in Russia

Ambiguous roles of intermediaries in social entrepreneurship: The case of social innovation system in South Korea

Social entrepreneurship and ventures play increasingly important roles in social innovation to tackle wicked problems. Given that social ventures not only have limited resources but are also a relatively new form of entrepreneurship, they often require help of intermediary organizations, actors in social entrepreneurship that aim to deliver some level of social innovation in the context they work in and assist social entrepreneurs to build their capabilities and diffuse innovative ideas. These intermediaries also play various roles in supporting the development and growth of social business ecosystems by linking and mediating different actors to build a community of social innovators. While some of these are typical roles of accelerators or incubators in technological entrepreneurial systems, other mediating and networking roles are closer to those of intermediary organizations in the social economy. Due to the fragmented nature of the studies that investigate these issues from a particular theoretical and practical perspective, there is a lack of systematic and comprehensive analysis of the diverse roles of intermediaries in broader innovation ecosystems. To address this gap, this study adopts the innovation systems approach and examines the various “ambiguous” roles of intermediary organizations in support of social entrepreneurship. By highlighting the particular functions attributable to the nature and characteristics of social business, this study also suggests how technology can facilitate the development of sustainable social innovation systems.

Regional mechanism of state regulation and support of social entrepreneurship

Regional mechanism of state regulation and support of social entrepreneurship

The drivers of social entrepreneurship: agency, context, compassion and opportunism

PurposeThe paper refers to the drivers of social entrepreneurship and critically explores the notion that it is prompted by a personal mission to enable some social or ideologically motivated altruism. It refers to Shapero's Entrepreneurial Event Theory and the adaptation of it for social entrepreneurship in Mair and Noboa (2006) and develops these so that both agency and context may be considered.Design/methodology/approachFieldwork comprised a qualitative sample of 12 life-story narratives of social entrepreneurs in Central Scotland. The location was chosen because of its reputation for support of social entrepreneurship, and the qualitative methodology allowed for a depth of inspection and analysis of complex and situational experiences.FindingsFindings include observation of altruism but there are other drivers, including the appeal of the social entrepreneurship business model. Context emerges as a critical feature of social entrepreneurship too, including spurs for altruism and the human, financial and social capitals, skills and experiences of social entrepreneurs.Originality/valueThe paper finds that the social entrepreneurship process involves both agency and context and is complex, and for some, reflects a strategic approach similar to commercial entrepreneurship. The paper also proposes further adaptation to Entrepreneurial Event Theory to capture this complexity of the social entrepreneurship process.

Акселерационные программы в экосистеме поддержки социального предпринимательства

Акселерационные программы в экосистеме поддержки социального предпринимательства

Бізнес-планування як інструмент державного фінансування соціального підприємництва

The article examines aspects of social entrepreneurship as a priority area of financial policy. The analysis of application of business planning as an element of financing of social projects in the world is carried out. It is proved that business practice requires the search for adaptive tools for financial support of social entrepreneurship by the state. The definition of "social business planning" as an element of dialogue between social business and the state is substantiated. It is specified that the state provides financial and economic support, first of all, to projects that have a social effect and are not commercialized. It is proved that social business planning is a tool for reviewing socially significant projects and making decisions on funding, because its adaptation and implementation is an urgent need of social business practice.

Institutional foundations of rural entrepreneurial development

Purpose. The aim of the article is substantiation of directions of institutional support for the development of social entrepreneurship in rural communities through the creation of an appropriate coordinating body. Methodology of research. General scientific and special research methods are used to achieve this goal, in particular: scientific method - to systematize the existing theoretical approaches to the research problem; dialectical method - in the study of the category of development of the problem identified by the project; analysis and synthesis - to detail the object and subject of research and their generalization; abstract and logical method - in the formation of scientific assumptions, hypotheses, as well as generalizations, conclusions and research proposals. Findings. The process of institutionalization of social entrepreneurship is considered, its main stages are given. The need to form an institutional environment for the development of social entrepreneurship in rural communities has been identified. Institutional principles of social entrepreneurship are offered. The results of the research of the opinion of the inhabitants of rural communities and entrepreneurs on the expediency of the development of social entrepreneurship and their readiness for the specified type of activity are given. The need for information support of social entrepreneurship has been identified. Originality. The project of the Regional Center for the Development of Social Entrepreneurship of Rural Communities is proposed and described; the main stages of the project implementation are determined, as well as the tasks, functions, organizational structure and technological platforms of social entrepreneurship development of rural communities are given. The consequences of the project implementation are described. The ultimate beneficiaries of social entrepreneurship have been identified. Practical value. The results of the study can be one of the areas of developing an effective national strategy for rural development, based on entrepreneurship and education, which will ultimately have a social effect from the implemented proposals. Key words: rural communities, institutionality, social entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurial initiatives, Regional Center.

From the Perspective of Supply and Demand, the Construction of College Students’ Social Entrepreneurship Support System is Discussed

From the Perspective of Supply and Demand, the Construction of College Students’ Social Entrepreneurship Support System is Discussed

Support of Social Entrepreneurship: Evaluation of Mechanisms and Rating of Russian Regions

Анализируется поддержка социальных предприятий в регионах России. Представлена авторская методика проведения исследования: цели, задачи, гипотезы, ожидаемые результаты, концепция построения рейтинга субъектов РФ по степени развитости механизмов господдержки. Оценки механизмов по критерию информированности, качества и значимости получены в ходе опроса трех групп респондентов – социальных предпринимателей, сотрудников ресурных центров и представителей власти. В графическом виде даны по ряду критериев среднегрупповые оценки механизмов поддержки в регионах. На основе расчетов рейтинга для 38 субъектов РФ регионы сгруппированы по степени интенсивности поддержки в три группы – хорошая, средняя и слабая. Подавляющее большинство субъектов РФ (24 из 38) оказались в средней группе. Ни один регион не попал в группу высокой интенсивности поддержки. Исследование показало, что социальное предпринимательство в ряде регионов находится в начальной стадии своего становления.