Reconceptualising social enterprise in the UK through an appreciation of legal identities
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
ISSN: 1355-2554
Article publication date: 13 April 2018
Issue publication date: 11 May 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review current conceptualisations of social enterprise and present a new theoretical model for social enterprise in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
This conceptual paper draws on the rise of social enterprise in the UK context. Social enterprise in the UK emerged around the 1980s, in both political consciousness and as an academic discipline. The paper explores organisational antecedents to develop a conceptual model that prioritises different legal forms of social enterprise in the UK regulatory framework.
Findings
In critiquing policy, practitioner and academic publications, as well as the theoretical models that operationalise social enterprise, there are two observations from the literature this paper examines: first, Theories to date have tended to conceptualise social enterprise as a single hybrid form, neglecting a consideration of the various legal identities, ownership and governance types; second, Theoretical models have tended to overlook the cultural, regional and political-economic histories within their conceptualisations.
Originality/value
The value and originality of this paper lies in offering a new paradigm in the conceptualisation of social enterprise in the UK. This is a new contribution to knowledge that strengthens an understanding of the field. This paper creates the space to broaden and appreciate ideologically and operationally different hybrid business types of social enterprises that include charitable, solidarity and entrepreneurial type social enterprises.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this paper. The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this paper. This paper forms part of a special section “Challenging tensions and contradictions: critical, theoretical and empirical perspectives on social enterprise”, guest edited by Michael Bull, Rory Ridley-Duff, Geoffrey Whittam and Susan Baines.
Citation
Bull, M. (2018), "Reconceptualising social enterprise in the UK through an appreciation of legal identities", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 587-605. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-11-2017-0470
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited