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Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability
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Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 32080

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Julia Meaton

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Management, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
Interests: community sustainability; disaster and emergency management; social enterprise; land use; transport planning
Dr. Walter Mswaka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Management, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
Interests: social entrepreneurship; entrepreneurial finance; business strategy; non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past decade, the discourse on social enterprises has emerged as a powerful intervention for ameliorating socio-economic challenges in communities worldwide. Given the increasing gaps in the delivery of public services around the world, social enterprises are now being called upon to tackle these institutional voids though innovation in practice. There is a range of debates regarding the business models of social enterprises but all manifestations potentially align with the UN sustainable development goals, and could be the drivers of creativity and innovation that will lead to more sustainable and resilient communities.

This Special Issue seeks to host a collection of papers that explore the meaning and relevance of social enterprises through a sustainability lens. We are seeking theoretical as well as empirical contributions and would welcome case studies from both the North and the South.

Dr. Julia Meaton
Dr. Walter Mswaka
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • social enterprise
  • sustainable futures
  • community development
  • community cohesion and engagement
  • social enterprise business models
  • resilient communities
  • creative enterprise
  • social entrepreneurship
  • SDGs

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 1867 KiB  
Article
Social Entrepreneurship Education as an Innovation Hub for Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: The Case of the KAIST Social Entrepreneurship MBA Program
by Moon Gyu Kim, Ji-Hwan Lee, Taewoo Roh and Hosung Son
Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9736; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229736 - 22 Nov 2020
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 6812
Abstract
As social problems become more extensive and diverse, one of the most critical capabilities of social entrepreneurs is connecting and aligning various stakeholders. Social entrepreneurs can solve problems better through collaboration with stakeholders, and this leads to sustainable innovation of society. Accordingly, social [...] Read more.
As social problems become more extensive and diverse, one of the most critical capabilities of social entrepreneurs is connecting and aligning various stakeholders. Social entrepreneurs can solve problems better through collaboration with stakeholders, and this leads to sustainable innovation of society. Accordingly, social entrepreneurship education (SEE) programs should be designed and operated to cultivate social entrepreneurs’ abilities to enhance connectivity with all relevant entities of the social enterprise ecosystem. Consequently, SEE can form ever-growing communities of social entrepreneurs while functioning as innovation hubs for entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) evolving on their own. To this end, this study proposes a design and assessment framework for SEE. The framework emphasizes strengthening internal connectivity among SEE program members and external connectivity with outside entities, including universities, firms, government agencies, civil societies, and natural environments. This framework clarifies how and to whom social entrepreneurs should connect throughout the SEE process. This paper analyzes the case of an MBA degree SEE program in Korea using this framework and identifies directions for further improvement of SEE, contributing to the social entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education literatures by integrating SEE’s key features with social theories of learning and the quintuple helix model for sustainable innovation ecosystems. Practically, our findings provide a useful benchmark to find isolated internal and external entities that need more active interactions to achieve SEE’s purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability)
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35 pages, 1653 KiB  
Article
Conditioning Factors of Sustainability of Dual Vocational Educational Training in Andalusia (Spain): Case Study of Three Educational Centres
by María Teresa Pozo-Llorente and María de Fátima Poza-Vilches
Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9356; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229356 - 11 Nov 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2466
Abstract
From the incorporation of the Dual Vocational Educational Training (dual VET) in the Spanish educational panorama in 2012, and in the midst of the economic and financial crisis, this dual VET educational scheme has been a political priority of national and regional governments, [...] Read more.
From the incorporation of the Dual Vocational Educational Training (dual VET) in the Spanish educational panorama in 2012, and in the midst of the economic and financial crisis, this dual VET educational scheme has been a political priority of national and regional governments, who see it as a strategy for socioeconomic growth, employability, and youth entrepreneurship framed under an educational sustainability model. Despite the growing number of companies involved in the scheme, this model of educational training has not been free of debate and controversy. This study focuses on the autonomous community of Andalusia with the objective of identifying—using a complementary methodological perspective—the key factors that condition the successful implementation of dual VET in this region based on the experience of three educational centres and the opinions of those educators involved. Some of the weaknesses of dual VET identified in the autonomous community include the ambiguity of regulations, budgetary sustainability, governance models, the relationship between the training offered and industry, the involvement of companies, and the recognition of the teaching staff involved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability)
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20 pages, 1371 KiB  
Article
Social Entrepreneurship and Regional Economic Development: The Case of Social Enterprise in South Korea
by Soogwan Doh
Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 8843; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218843 - 24 Oct 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 6504
Abstract
Although many discussions of regional economic development have been made to this day, the regional economic development sector is constantly looking for new models to address the many challenges of each region in a sustainable way. This study aims to empirically examine the [...] Read more.
Although many discussions of regional economic development have been made to this day, the regional economic development sector is constantly looking for new models to address the many challenges of each region in a sustainable way. This study aims to empirically examine the relationship between social entrepreneurship and regional economic development, focusing on government-driven social enterprises in South Korea. I conduct an exploratory study of government support for social enterprises in South Korea at the local and central government level and empirically examine the relationship between social entrepreneurship and regional economic development by using time sequential panel data collected over an eight-year period from 2007 to 2014. Results from panel regression (fixed-effect and random-effect) models indicate that social entrepreneurship measured as the number of government-driven social enterprises has a positive relationship with regional economic development. As claimed in numerous previous studies on regional economic development, the fixed-effect regression results of this study also indicate that physical capital, human capital, knowledge capital, and entrepreneurship are all significant and important factors shaping regional economic output. The results of this study suggest a new direction for policy that focuses on instruments to promote social entrepreneurship. Thus, governments of each region need to make efforts to promote job creation in social enterprises because they possess the ability to efficiently respond to the immediate needs of local social enterprises. These government-driven social enterprises can contribute to regional economic development through creating new jobs in South Korea. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability)
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23 pages, 1213 KiB  
Article
Social Entrepreneurship as a Form of Cross-Border Cooperation: Complementarity in EU Border Regions
by Herman T. Wevers, Cosmina L. Voinea and Frank de Langen
Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8463; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208463 - 14 Oct 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3139
Abstract
EU border regions continue to face economic and social disadvantages compared to other regions in the same country. Since 1990, the European Commission has been implementing extensive territorial cooperation programs to support EU border regions in solving regional problems and building social cohesion. [...] Read more.
EU border regions continue to face economic and social disadvantages compared to other regions in the same country. Since 1990, the European Commission has been implementing extensive territorial cooperation programs to support EU border regions in solving regional problems and building social cohesion. This study offers a contribution for decreasing the economic and social disadvantages of EU border regions by investigating the complementarity between institutional EU cross-border cooperation and social entrepreneurship. We argue that both concepts build upon similar drivers and characteristics with the aim of creating impact and bringing about change. We test and improve our initially literature-based framework to provide a better insight into how institutional and entrepreneurial processes could benefit from each other. We conduct interviews with experts operating at different governance levels and in various EU countries and border regions. The complementarity between both concepts is confirmed considering a differentiation between governance levels and fields of expertise. The results show that complementarity between the concepts mainly exists in terms of taking advantage of opportunities for a certain effect. The commercial activities of social enterprises are seen as effective, but it is necessary for social enterprises to establish sustainable EU cross-border cooperation and to improve regional social and economic development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability)
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22 pages, 833 KiB  
Article
The Role of CSR on Social Entrepreneurship: An International Analysis
by Inmaculada Buendía-Martínez and Inmaculada Carrasco Monteagudo
Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 6976; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176976 - 27 Aug 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5407
Abstract
The increase in the weight of social entrepreneurship (SE) in the economy has driven the increase in research on the subject. Within the set of approaches developed by scholars to analyse SE, the institutional approach has recently acquired greater relevance. Following this research [...] Read more.
The increase in the weight of social entrepreneurship (SE) in the economy has driven the increase in research on the subject. Within the set of approaches developed by scholars to analyse SE, the institutional approach has recently acquired greater relevance. Following this research trend, this article seeks to expand the empirical research on SE by focusing on the informal factors that are less studied in the literature and using a cross-national base. Using the New Institutional Economics and partial least squares–structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), our findings show the influence of cultural context on the SE dimension. In addition, this influence occurs through two groups of variables led by social capital and corporate social responsibility, although their impacts show opposite signs. These factors have important implications for policy makers in charge of fostering SE development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability)
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14 pages, 1085 KiB  
Article
Does Massive Placement of Bicycles Win the Market for the Bicycle-Sharing Company in China?
by Jialing Zhao, Hongwei Wang, Yuxin Huang and Yuan Meng
Sustainability 2020, 12(13), 5279; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135279 - 30 Jun 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2300
Abstract
The rise of bicycle-sharing stimulated companies’ investment in a large number of bicycles in the market. However, it is important to balance the massive placement of bicycles in the market and the company’s sustainable development. This paper is motivated to identify a strategic [...] Read more.
The rise of bicycle-sharing stimulated companies’ investment in a large number of bicycles in the market. However, it is important to balance the massive placement of bicycles in the market and the company’s sustainable development. This paper is motivated to identify a strategic balance between market expansion and the sustainable development of the company. Based on the information asymmetry and evolutionary game theory, a tripartite game model was established for the government, enterprise, and consumer. This study identified five evolutionary stability strategies (ESSs) of these three parties under specific conditions by analyzing their decision-making behavior. The results indicated that the number of bicycles in the market placed by a bicycle-sharing enterprise was not directly proportional to its profit. The quantity of bicycles needed on the market was influenced by the government and consumers. It also found that government regulation plays a dominant role in the development of the bicycle-sharing company regarding the number of bicycles needed in the market. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability)
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13 pages, 938 KiB  
Concept Paper
Role of Social Enterprises in Addressing Energy Poverty: Making the Case for Refined Understanding through Theory of Co-Production of Knowledge and Theory of Social Capital
by Praveen Kumar and Nishant Tiwary
Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8533; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208533 - 15 Oct 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3872
Abstract
Social enterprises have become increasingly central in the field of energy poverty. As a result of market and government failures, an increased emphasis on social enterprises to address energy poverty has emerged. Still, there is limited theoretical understanding guiding the role of social [...] Read more.
Social enterprises have become increasingly central in the field of energy poverty. As a result of market and government failures, an increased emphasis on social enterprises to address energy poverty has emerged. Still, there is limited theoretical understanding guiding the role of social enterprises in addressing the challenge of energy poverty. We apply theories of co-production and social capital to analyze the role of social enterprises in disseminating and implementing cleaner energy alternatives to resource poor communities. By combining implications of these theories, we argue that social enterprises act as honest brokers between communities and technologists, cultivate new social relationships, and change social structures to move poor communities to adopt and use cleaner energy systems. Understanding the role of social enterprises in addressing energy poverty through a theoretical realm will provide a guiding framework to undertake systematic empirical investigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability)
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