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Topic: Social Entrepreneurship
Sort Desciption: The Function of Social Entrepreneurship in the UK Draft paper presented at the ISTR Conference, Cape Town, July 2002 By Paola Grenier, Centre for Civil Society, London School of Economics, UK p.m ...
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The Function of Social Entrepreneurship in the UK
Draft paper presented at the ISTR Conference, Cape Town, July 2002
By Paola Grenier, Centre for Civil Society, London School of Economics,
UK
p.m.grenier@lse. ac.uk
This paper has been written following one stage of field research, carried out as part of
a PhD on The role and significance of social entrepreneurship in the UK
Abstract
In this paper I focus on the emergence of social entrepreneurship as an organisational field in
the UK, specifically between 1995 and 2001. Social entrepreneurship in the UK emphasises
the role of individual social entrepreneurs in bringing about social innovation, change and
progress.
This paper draws on new institutional theory in organisations to understand social
entrepreneurship as an emergent organisational field. It is based on interviews and
documentary analysis, and covers four broad areas. This paper looks first at definitions,
perceptions and the use of language in how social entrepreneurship is understood and
presented. Second it assesses why there has been an interest in social entrepreneurship in the
UK. Thirdly it proposes five functions of entrepreneurship based on different theories, and
reviews the ways in which social entrepreneurship fulfils those functions. And finally it
explores some of the more contentious aspects of social entrepreneurship, which have given
rise to some strongly held alternative positions in the UK.
The findings and discussion draw attention to the way in which business terminology and
values are both explicit and implicit in the language of social entrepreneurship. I argue that
social entrepreneurship does in fact fulfil the functions of entrepreneurship identifies by
theoretical approaches, but within a particular context. Its emergence has taken place within a
context of political and social trends which support the emphasis found in social
entrepreneur ...
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