Social Entrepreneurship Research

Background

 The proposed research project takes some of the first steps in gathering qualitative data from social entrepreneurs primarily in the northeast United States.  There are many questions that should be answered as practitioners, funders, and universities move forward with social entrepreneurship initiatives.  Where do these social entrepreneurship ideas come from?  How do these ideas become opportunities?  What types of organizations are set up by social entrepreneurs?  What are the challenges for the start-up social entrepreneur? As far as I know, this study would be the first of its kind and would provide ample data for the formation of theories and frameworks that would inform the field. The outcomes of this research project would be a new theoretical perspective (a model) on the start-up processes and challenges that early stage social entrepreneurs face in a competitive environment.

Our preliminary scan has revealed to us that there is very little academic research being conducted on the phenomenon of social entrepreneurship.  As a result of this lack of research, we have a limited understanding of the processes involved in creating social ventures and the challenges faced by social entrepreneurs.  To fill this void, our proposal describes a research project that focuses on the early stages of social venture formation. 

 Our goal is to produce one report and at least one academic research paper that begin to frame this early stage of social entrepreneurship development in the context of a broader field of entrepreneurship and organization theory.  The contribution to both practice and academia will clearly place NYU-Stern at the forefront of the study of social entrepreneurship.

Defining Social Entrepreneurship

There are several definitions.  For the purposes of this study we use the following definitions: 

Social entrepreneurship is the process of using entrepreneurial and business skills to create innovative approaches to social problems. 

The social entrepreneurial process includes the identification of a specific social problem and a specific solution (or set of solutions) to address it; the evaluation of the social impact, business model and sustainability of the venture; and the creation of a social mission-oriented for-profit or a business-oriented non-profit entity that pursues the double- (or triple-) bottom line.

Existing Programs and Previous Academic Research

Three complementary research programs exist in other nations: University of Strathclyde (UK), INSEAD (France), and IESE Business School (Spain).  Researchers at these universities have agreed to collaborate with NYU-Stern on this social entrepreneurship research project, a research conference and other activities.

 This research project has two advantages over similar projects.  First, this research is being conducted under the direction of a tenure track faculty member.  To our knowledge, none of the other U.S. based research projects is being led by full-time faculty members. This research project is being designed so that it will meet academic standards and have the legitimacy amongst entrepreneurship scholars.

 Second, this project will replicate a portion of the University of Strathclyde research project so that cross national comparison can be made.  This provides a unique, “Acting Locally, Thinking Globally”, aspect to our research. Professor Robinson has made a number of contacts for expanding this project across regions and borders.  The insights drawn from a broader project will have certain impact on the field of social entrepreneurship.

 There are five other schools that have social entrepreneurship research initiatives: 

• Research in Social Entrepreneurship (RISE), Columbia University, Graduate School of Business
• Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Said Business School, Oxford University
• Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
• Yale School of Management – Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Non-Profit Ventures
• Center for Social Innovation, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business

International Social Entrepreneurship Research Conference

April 22-24, 2005  IESE Business School - Barcelona, Spain

Social Entrepreneurship has become a global phenomenon that impacts the lives of citizens by using innovative approaches to solving social problems.  The rise of initiatives in social entrepreneurship sponsored by universities, governmental institutions and non-governmental organizations has revealed the relatively under-developed state of the scholarly work in this vibrant area of research.  As a result, we have a limited understanding of the theoretical foundations of this phenomenon. 

To address this void, we are convening a social entrepreneurship research conference that focuses on making scholarly contributions to the field.  This knowledge generating event will bring scholars from around the world to Barcelona to present their theories and frameworks for understanding social entrepreneurship.

We expect the outcomes of this conference to be 1) the refinement of theoretical concepts and scholarly ideas regarding this area of research, 2) the establishment of a research network for thought leadership and knowledge generation in social entrepreneurship, and 3) the planning of future scholarly activities.  Our convening will be a step toward securing creative partnerships and cross-national research projects that will broaden our understanding of this important phenomenon.

For more information on this research initiative please contact Professor Robinson at jrobinson@stern.nyu.edu