Research on Social Entrepreneurship: Understanding and Contributing to an Emerging Field

Over the past few decades, the nonprofit and for-profit sectors have become more alike, undertaking mixed commercial and social programming in response to dramatic changes in the cultural and economic context. This new landscape includes constantly evolving demographics; instant and interactive technology; downsized and devolved governments; a global marketplace; a volatile economy; and a commercial presence that reaches into almost every aspect of life. Faced with these challenges, nonprofit organizations are becoming more market-oriented while businesses are working harder to benefit communities as well as stockholders. Scholars and practitioners in diverse fields are observing the convergence of market and mission throughout the world and are anxiously trying to find a common language to describe this burgeoning area of activity so that it can be better understood and harnessed. [This] volume sheds light on the most promising new approaches to researching social entrepreneurship, from both academics and practitioners, and covers the following topics: developing an evidence-based definition of and theoretical framework for social entrepreneurship research; the extent of institutionalization of the social enterprise field; methods for assessing the impact of social entrepreneurs' work; a comparison of social entrepreneurship in the United States and abroad; and a case study on a specific social enterprise. The volume concludes with recommendations for several promising areas of social entrepreneurship research, including new legal forms for hybrid organizations, capitalization of enterprise activity, the state of education for the next generation of social entrepreneurs, and international comparisons of social enterprise models.