The potential of social entrepreneurship: conceptual tools for applying citizenship theory to policy and practice

Inclusive Entrepreneurship and Motivation Among People With Intellectual Disability: "Why They Act"

Social entrepreneurship is a growing trend for people with intellectual disability (ID). This trend reflects a shift in contemporary policy towards entrepreneurship and self-employment as a viable employment option for people with disability in general; a strategy which is intended to promote autonomy and reduce dependence on entitlement-based services as well as to reduce employment disparities and stimulate business and job creation. However, it is not well understood what exactly this means for people with ID involved in social entrepreneurial ventures. This research approached the issue by conducting dyadic interviews to explore the motivations of people with ID who are participating and supported in social entrepreneurship-"why they act." In exploring these motivations, this article investigates push-pull factors, the role of the social mission, and how support influences motivation.

The Role of CSR on Social Entrepreneurship: An International Analysis

The increase in the weight of social entrepreneurship (SE) in the economy has driven the increase in research on the subject. Within the set of approaches developed by scholars to analyse SE, the institutional approach has recently acquired greater relevance. Following this research trend, this article seeks to expand the empirical research on SE by focusing on the informal factors that are less studied in the literature and using a cross-national base. Using the New Institutional Economics and partial least squares–structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), our findings show the influence of cultural context on the SE dimension. In addition, this influence occurs through two groups of variables led by social capital and corporate social responsibility, although their impacts show opposite signs. These factors have important implications for policy makers in charge of fostering SE development.

Inclusive management for social entrepreneurs with intellectual disabilities: "how they act"

BACKGROUND

Social entrepreneurship is a growing trend that reflects a shift in contemporary policy towards entrepreneurship and self-employment as viable employment option for people with disabilities. Entrepreneurship is intended to promote autonomy and reduce dependence on entitlement-based services as well as reduce employment disparities while stimulating business and job creation.However, it is not well understood what exactly this means for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) involved in social entrepreneurial ventures.

METHODS

Dyadic interviews were conducted with people with ID participating in social entrepreneurship (n = 7) as well as with the person they identified as instrumental in providing support (n = 7). Interviews focused on understanding the management processes used by people with ID, or "how they act" in negotiating between formal and informal systems of services and supports and barriers encountered.

RESULTS

Themes that emerged include the main barriers they experienced, how their businesses are organized; and the use of formal and informal services and supports.

CONCLUSIONS

This research expands upon our understanding of social entrepreneurship and the management processes involved in customized employment for people with ID. It offers new insights and information for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to inform the expectations we set for entrepreneurship as a sustainable employment option, from the perspective of social entrepreneurs with ID themselves.

Research about citizenship and disability: a scoping review

PURPOSE

To identify the characteristics of peer-reviewed literature on citizenship and disability published in English from 1985 to 2015.

METHOD

A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley framework. Several databases were searched for peer-reviewed journal articles including the terms citizenship and disability, impairment or handicap in their abstract or title; published between 1985 and 2015; in English.

RESULTS

A total of 295 articles were included. Key findings are (1) the number of articles about disability and citizenship increased dramatically over the past three decades, (2) the meaning of citizenship is often left undiscussed, (3) citizenship is more often discussed in terms of access to social rights and less so in regards to contributions to society and participation in family life, technology and culture, (4) disabled people tend to be represented as a homogeneous category, (5) most studies are qualitative and non-participatory.

CONCLUSIONS

To broaden knowledge about the situation, membership and participation of persons with disabilities in society, further research should develop the conceptual use of citizenship in relation to disability, explore different research designs, investigate various citizenship sectors and take into account the complexity of personal and social situations of persons with disabilities. Implications for Rehabilitation The notion of citizenship is closely related to the goals of rehabilitation as it touches upon issues of membership and participation in society; Understanding the multiple dimensions of citizenship will help practitioners to design and improve rehabilitation treatments and connect these not only to social citizenship rights but also to the various social roles and contributions of persons with disabilities; A better understanding of the complex relationship between citizenship and disability on the part of practitioners is crucial since strategies and policy documents about persons with disabilities often mention citizenship.

Entrepreneurship by any other name: self-sufficiency versus innovation

Entrepreneurship has been promoted as an innovative strategy to address the employment of people with disabilities. Research has predominantly focused on the self-sufficiency aspect without fully integrating entrepreneurship literature in the areas of theory, systems change, and demonstration projects. Subsequently there are gaps in services, policies, and research in this field that, in turn, have limited our understanding of the support needs and barriers or facilitators of entrepreneurs with disabilities. A thorough analysis of the literature in these areas led to the development of two core concepts that need to be addressed in integrating entrepreneurship into disability employment research and policy: clarity in operational definitions and better disability statistics and outcome measures. This article interrogates existing research and policy efforts in this regard to argue for a necessary shift in the field from focusing on entrepreneurship as self-sufficiency to understanding entrepreneurship as innovation.