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Understanding Opportunities in Social Entrepreneurship: A Critical Realist Abstraction

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  • Xiaoti Hu
  • Susan Marlow
  • Angelika Zimmermann
  • Lee Martin
  • Regina Frank

Abstract

This article extends social entrepreneurship (SE) research by drawing upon a critical realist perspective to analyse dynamic structure/agency relations in SE opportunity emergence, illustrated by empirical evidence. Our findings demonstrate an agential aspect (opportunity actualisation following a path-dependent seeding-growing-shaping process) and a structural aspect (institutional, cognitive and embedded structures necessary for SE opportunity emergence) related to SE opportunities. These structures provide three boundary conditions for SE agency: institutional discrimination, an SE belief system and social feasibility. Within this article, we develop a novel theoretical framework to analyse SE opportunities plus, an applicable tool to advance related empirical research.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaoti Hu & Susan Marlow & Angelika Zimmermann & Lee Martin & Regina Frank, 2020. "Understanding Opportunities in Social Entrepreneurship: A Critical Realist Abstraction," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(5), pages 1032-1056, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:entthe:v:44:y:2020:i:5:p:1032-1056
    DOI: 10.1177/1042258719879633
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