A Comparative Study of Social Enterprises: North vs. South Perspectives

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship as a practice that integrates economic and social value creation has a strong global presence. This chapter capitalizes on the evolution of the concept of social enterprise in the Western literature to analyze its manifestation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Specifically, using empirical evidence from seven Arab countries, this chapter documents the understanding and application of social enterprises in the MENA region. Through the voices of social entrepreneurs who are working across the MENA countries, we document how social enterprise is displayed in practice along with both the constraints and the opportunities facing social entrepreneurs across this region. This new context-specific approach is then used to shed light on the similarities and differences of social enterprise practices across the international scene and the MENA region. The findings presented highlight the uniqueness of social enterprise in the MENA context, combining elements of both European and American approaches, in addition to some context-specific features.

Organisation and outcomes in social enterprising: comparing Europe and the Middle East and North Africa

“…A variety of sources of financing of social enterprises are utilised for starting social enterprises. Social entrepreneurs provide much own financing, but much also comes from family, friends, grants awarded by private foundations and public agencies and use of sources differ among societies (Jamali et al, 2016). In MENA and Europe, social enterprises focus on social benefits; whereas, in the USA, social enterprises focus on achieving sustainable revenue generation and self-sufficiency.…”