IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/osf/socarx/7z8nc_v1.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

From Legitimacy to Learning – How Impact Measurement Perceptions and Practices Evolve in Social Enterprise – Social Finance Organization Relationships

Author

Listed:
  • Lall, Saurabh Ajay

Abstract

While the links between the fields of social enterprise and social finance appear apparent, academic research on the relationship lags behind practice. This study examines how social enterprises interact with social finance organizations in the context of impact measurement. Through qualitative research with eight social enterprises and their respective funders, I find evidence that both sides view impact measurement primarily as a means for establishing legitimacy prior to engagement, and in the early stages of their relationship. These relationships are hierarchical and rigid at early stages, but over time evolve into more collaborative partnerships. Eventually, social enterprises embrace impact measurement as a tool for organizational learning, and social finance organizations develop more empowering approaches for impact measurement. The level of flexibility and the closeness of the relationship between social finance organizations and social enterprises suggest important lessons for the development of a more enabling use of impact measurement.

Suggested Citation

  • Lall, Saurabh Ajay, 2019. "From Legitimacy to Learning – How Impact Measurement Perceptions and Practices Evolve in Social Enterprise – Social Finance Organization Relationships," SocArXiv 7z8nc_v1, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:7z8nc_v1
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/7z8nc_v1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://osf.io/download/5d1501a9b95393001a733f05/
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.31219/osf.io/7z8nc_v1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Salamon, Lester M., 2014. "New Frontiers of Philanthropy: A Guide to the New Tools and New Actors that Are Reshaping Global Philanthropy and Social Investing," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199357543.
    2. Peter Kelly & Michael Hay, 2003. "Business angel contracts: the influence of context," Venture Capital, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(4), pages 287-312, August.
    3. Baum, Joel A. C. & Silverman, Brian S., 2004. "Picking winners or building them? Alliance, intellectual, and human capital as selection criteria in venture financing and performance of biotechnology startups," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 411-436, May.
    4. Sophie Bacq & G.T. Lumpkin, 2014. "Can Social Entrepreneurship Researchers Learn from Family Business Scholarship? A Theory-Based Future Research Agenda," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(3), pages 270-294, November.
    5. Matt Grimes, 2010. "Strategic Sensemaking within Funding Relationships: The Effects of Performance Measurement on Organizational Identity in the Social Sector," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(4), pages 763-783, July.
    6. Jarrod Ormiston & Richard Seymour, 2011. "Understanding Value Creation in Social Entrepreneurship: The Importance of Aligning Mission, Strategy and Impact Measurement," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(2), pages 125-150, October.
    7. J. Gregory Dees, 2008. "Philanthropy and Enterprise: Harnessing the Power of Business and Social Entrepreneurship for Development," Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, MIT Press, vol. 3(3), pages 119-132, July.
    8. Mair, Johanna & Martí, Ignasi, 2006. "Social entrepreneurship research: A source of explanation, prediction, and delight," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 36-44, February.
    9. Kathryn Newcomer & Laila El Baradei & Sandra Garcia, 2013. "EXPECTATIONS AND CAPACITY OF PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT IN NGOs IN THE DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT," Public Administration & Development, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 33(1), pages 62-79, February.
    10. Alex Nicholls, 2018. "A General Theory of Social Impact Accounting: Materiality, Uncertainty and Empowerment," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(2), pages 132-153, May.
    11. Johanna Mair & Ignasi Marti, 2006. "Social Entrepreneurship Research: A Source of Explanation, Prediction, and Delight," Post-Print hal-02311880, HAL.
    12. Jacques Defourny & Marthe Nyssens, 2010. "Conceptions of Social Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurship in Europe and the United States: Convergences and Divergences," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(1), pages 32-53, March.
    13. M. Tina Dacin & Peter A. Dacin & Paul Tracey, 2011. "Social Entrepreneurship: A Critique and Future Directions," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1203-1213, October.
    14. Mariarosa Scarlata & Luisa Alemany, 2010. "Deal Structuring in Philanthropic Venture Capital Investments: Financing Instrument, Valuation and Covenants," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(2), pages 121-145, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lall, Saurabh Ajay, 2019. "From Legitimacy to Learning – How Impact Measurement Perceptions and Practices Evolve in Social Enterprise – Social Finance Organization Relationships," SocArXiv 7z8nc, Center for Open Science.
    2. Lall, Saurabh Ajay, 2017. "Measuring to Improve Versus Measuring to Prove: Understanding the Adoption of Social Performance Measurement Practices in Nascent Social Enterprises," SocArXiv 8wa5c, Center for Open Science.
    3. Yang, Shu & Kher, Romi & Newbert, Scott L., 2020. "What signals matter for social startups? It depends: The influence of gender role congruity on social impact accelerator selection decisions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(2).
    4. Barbara Bradač Hojnik & Katja Crnogaj, 2020. "Social Impact, Innovations, and Market Activity of Social Enterprises: Comparison of European Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-15, March.
    5. Robin Stevens & Nathalie Moray & Johan Bruneel, 2015. "The Social and Economic Mission of Social Enterprises: Dimensions, Measurement, Validation, and Relation," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 39(5), pages 1051-1082, September.
    6. Shr-Wei Kao & Pin Luarn, 2020. "Topic Modeling Analysis of Social Enterprises: Twitter Evidence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-20, April.
    7. Bhattarai, Charan Raj & Kwong, Caleb C.Y. & Tasavori, Misagh, 2019. "Market orientation, market disruptiveness capability and social enterprise performance: An empirical study from the United Kingdom," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 47-60.
    8. Guillaume Dumont, 2024. "Evaluating the Credibility of Entrepreneurs’ Impact Promises in Early-Stage Impact Investing," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 48(6), pages 1525-1555, November.
    9. Singaram, Raja & Radu-Lefebvre, Miruna & Gartner, William B., 2023. "Gordian knot uncut: Understanding the problem of founder exit in social ventures," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    10. Pradeep Kumar Hota, 2023. "Tracing the Intellectual Evolution of Social Entrepreneurship Research: Past Advances, Current Trends, and Future Directions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(3), pages 637-659, January.
    11. Adélie Ranville & Marcos Barros, 2022. "Towards Normative Theories of Social Entrepreneurship. A Review of the Top Publications of the Field," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(2), pages 407-438, October.
    12. Kai Hockerts, 2017. "Determinants of Social Entrepreneurial Intentions," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(1), pages 105-130, January.
    13. Weerawardena, Jay & Salunke, Sandeep & Haigh, Nardia & Sullivan Mort, Gillian, 2021. "Business model innovation in social purpose organizations: Conceptualizing dual social-economic value creation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 762-771.
    14. Hans Rawhouser & Michael Cummings & Scott L. Newbert, 2019. "Social Impact Measurement: Current Approaches and Future Directions for Social Entrepreneurship Research," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(1), pages 82-115, January.
    15. Lall, Saurabh Ajay, 2017. "Measuring to Improve Versus Measuring to Prove: Understanding the Adoption of Social Performance Measurement Practices in Nascent Social Enterprises," SocArXiv 8wa5c_v1, Center for Open Science.
    16. Laura Rodrigo & Isabel Ortiz-Marcos & Miguel Palacios, 2024. "A typology of social innovation: A comparative study of clustering methodologies," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 3283-3322, December.
    17. Xiangping Jia & Geoffrey Desa, 2020. "Social entrepreneurship and impact investment in rural–urban transformation: An orientation to systemic social innovation and symposium findings," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(4), pages 1217-1239, December.
    18. Pradeep Kumar Hota & Balaji Subramanian & Gopalakrishnan Narayanamurthy, 2020. "Mapping the Intellectual Structure of Social Entrepreneurship Research: A Citation/Co-citation Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(1), pages 89-114, September.
    19. Chen-Yueh Chen & Yi-Hsiu Lin, 2021. "Social Entrepreneurship in Professional Sports: Antecedents and Outcomes from the Consumer Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-18, January.
    20. Gift Dafuleya, 2014. "Social Value Creation and Institution-Entrepreneurial Dynamics in a Three Sector Economy," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 6(10), pages 795-809.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:7z8nc_v1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: OSF (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://arabixiv.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.