The scientific article 'Communities at the nexus of Entrepreneurship and Social Impact: A cross-disciplinaire literatuurstudie' (Sophie Bacq et al.) explores how communities and entrepreneurship work together to create social impact. The article is based on an international review of 227 studies. By drawing on research from multiple disciplines, it offers a broader perspective on the relationship between communities, entrepreneurship, and social impact. For example, it shows that more formalized communities - that is, communities whose members are organized and share agreed-upon rules - play a more active role in generating social impact (see image below).
The study was motivated by the observation that entrepreneurship researchers tend to overlook the importance of communities. While entrepreneurship is recognized for its role in creating positive change, the article argues that businesses alone are insufficient to address major societal challenges. Communities are essential in this regard.
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Key takeaways for citizen collectives
1. The importance of communities for social impact: Recognizing that communities play a crucial role in enabling and shaping the impact of entrepreneurial efforts highlights the importance of collaboration and collective action within communities to achieve sustainable and effective social change.
2. A new typology of communities: The study introduces a new typology of communities, categorized by place, identity, fate, interest, and practice. This typology can help researchers and practitioners develop a common language and approach for integrating communities into studies of entrepreneurship and social impact. It also provides citizen collectives with a framework to better understand their own roles and potential. Understanding that communities extend beyond geographic boundaries can help collectives expand their networks and form strategic partnerships.
3. Framework for community roles: The framework developed by Bacq et al., which identifies five roles communities can play (for, in, with, enabled by, and driven by communities), offers practical guidance for citizen collectives on structuring their involvement in entrepreneurship. It can help them better position their initiatives and collaborate more effectively with entrepreneurs to maximize social impact. It is also a valuable tool for researchers and practitioners seeking to analyze and understand these interactions.
These insights can help citizen collectives refine their strategies, establish new partnerships, and maximize their societal impact through better collaboration with entrepreneurial initiatives.
This summary was made possible with contributions from Eveline Castelijns.