Politics, Values and Social Entrepreneurship: A Critical Appraisal

Social entrepreneurship (SE) has many champions and a notable lack of detractors. Governments have embraced it, business schools have committed millions of dollars to study it, nonprofit organizations have been founded to incubate it, and creative individuals are rapidly evolving it into new and innovative forms. Like the concepts of the ‘Third Way’ and ‘compassionate conservatism’, SE’s millennialist vision of harmony between private sector initiatives and public sector values appeals to a world tired of political economy’s time-worn ideological battles. SE speaks a compelling language of pragmatism, cooperation, and hope.