The Concept and Process of Social Entrepreneurship
- Defining Social Entrepreneurship
- The Process of Social Entrepreneurship
- Social Entrepreneurship Theory and Research
Defining Social Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship is About Innovation and Impact, Not Income: This article originally appeared on The Skoll Foundation’s Social Edge in September 2003. In it, Greg Dees argues from both a practical and theoretical perspective for an innovation-based, rather than nonprofit income generation-focused, definition of social entrepreneurship.
The Meaning of Social Entrepreneurship: A seminal white paper written by CASE Faculty Director Greg Dees in 1998 and revised in 2001, this 5-page definition of social entrepreneurship is available on numerous websites and has been translated into several foreign languages. Developed with support from the Kauffman Foundation and distributed freely at their request.
Social Enterprise: Private Initiatives for the Common Good: This note identifies six dimensions that are useful for understanding the differences between private social-purpose organizations (nonprofit and for-profit) and traditional business firms. It also discusses the role of social enterprise in society and trends creating opportunities for social entrepreneurship. (Harvard Business School Publishing, 9-395-116, 1994.)
Social
Entrepreneurship: Greg Dees and Peter Economy draw on entrepreneurship
theory and their experience with social entrepreneurs to define social
entrepreneurship, address why it is important to nonprofit leaders, and
identify key factors important to entrepreneurial success.
Chapter 1 in Enterprising Nonprofits: A Toolkit for Social Entrepreneurs,
Dees, Emerson, & Economy (eds.), John Wiley & Sons, 2001.
The Process of Social Entrepreneurship
The Process of Social Entrepreneurship: Creating Opportunities Worthy of Serious Pursuit: Published by CASE in 2002, this note provides a framework to guide social entrepreneurs through the process of creating a worthwhile opportunity. Written for classroom use, it is designed to help increase the chances of success for anyone contemplating the journey of social entrepreneurship, and it may also be helpful for those considering investing in new social ventures.
Mastering
the Art of Innovation: Greg Dees offers practical advice for nonprofit
leaders about how to identify innovative opportunities, manage the tensions
inherent to the innovation process, and build an innovative, adaptive organization.
Chapter 7 in Enterprising Nonprofits: A Toolkit for Social Entrepreneurs,
Dees, Emerson, & Economy (eds.), John Wiley & Sons, 2001.
Responding
to Market Failures: This note broadly defines the concept of market
failure and explores options for responding to it, paying particular attention
to the role of business leaders in addressing market deficiencies.
(Harvard Business School Publishing, 9-396-344, 1996.)
Note
on Starting a Nonprofit Venture: This note provides anyone considering
starting a nonprofit organization with a basic understanding of the nature
of nonprofit status, tax and regulatory issues for nonprofits, and the
distinctive management challenges associated with a nonprofit start-up.
(Harvard Business School Publishing, 9-391-096.)
Social Entrepreneurship Theory and Research
Framing a Theory
of Social Entrepreneurship: Building on Two Schools of Practice and Thought:
Greg Dees and Beth Anderson trace the evolution of two primary schools
of thought and practice that have defined the field of social entrepreneurship,
arguing that the most promising arena for academic inquiry lies at the
intersection of the "Social Enterprise" and "Social Innovation"
schools, around "enterprising social innovation."
Research on Social Entrepreneurship: Understanding and Contributing
to an Emerging Field, a special volume from the Association
for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action
(ARNOVA), funded by the UPS Foundation
Rhetoric, Research, and Reality: Building a Solid Foundation for the Practice of Social Entrepreneurship: Beth Anderson and Greg Dees raise questions about some of the rhetoric around “earned income strategies” in arguing that the nascent field of social entrepreneurship needs to build a strong foundation of rigorous, yet practically-oriented, research, particularly by engaging business school researchers. Chapter 7 in the forthcoming book Social Entrepreneurship: New Paradigms of Sustainable Social Change, Alex Nicholls (ed.), Oxford University Press.
Social
Entrepreneurs and Education: Greg
Dees responds to articles in a special issue of the journal Current Issues
in Comparative Education, in which the contributors were asked to respond
to his earlier piece on The Meaning of Social Entrepreneurship. Current
Issues in Comparative Education, vol. 8 no. 1, December 1, 2005