Social entrepreneurship: a different model?

Purpose – This paper is concerned with developing a framework which allows both economic and social entrepreneurship to be analysed. Design/methodology/approach – The framework is developed to accommodate the often neglected collective or pluralistic dimension of entrepreneurship. It draws on the behavioural approach to adopt a straightforward definition of social entrepreneurship – focusing on the creation of a social enterprise (co‐operative, mutual or voluntary organisation). The paper is exploratory, developing a conceptual framework, based on some case studies of social enterprises in a range of business sectors, in the UK. Findings – The findings from this small scale study provide interesting models of entrepreneurship that contrast with conventional models for SMEs. Research limitations/implications – The research has implications for research on conventional entrepreneurship, as well as creating a basis for developing the new field of social entrepreneurship. Practical implications – The paper provides policy implications for more effective support of social entrepreneurship. Originality/value – The paper establishes the importance of some distinctive factors in social entrepreneurship for policy and further research.