Social Entrepreneurship and Performance: The Role of Perceived Barriers and Risk

28 Pages Posted: 16 Aug 2011

See all articles by Brigitte Hoogendoorn

Brigitte Hoogendoorn

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Peter van der Zwan

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Erasmus School of Economics (ESE)

Roy Thurik

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Centre for Advanced Small Business Economics (CASBEC); Montpellier Business School; Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM); EIM Netherlands - Business and Policy Research; Tinbergen Institute

Date Written: June 6, 2011

Abstract

This study investigates if and in what way social entrepreneurs are hampered in turning their efforts into sustainable organizations. Using binary logit regressions and unique data containing approximately 26,000 individual-level data points for 36 countries, this study assesses the influences of perceived environmental barriers, risk variables, and socio-demographic variables on the probability of being a social entrepreneur versus a commercial entrepreneur. Our findings confirm that socially motivated entrepreneurs are less likely to survive the earliest levels of entrepreneurial engagement. Several factors have been identified to explain this underperformance. Compared to commercial entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs perceive more financial and informational start-up barriers, are more afraid of personal failure and bankruptcy, and can be found in the lower and higher age categories. In addition, this study found that social entrepreneurs are more likely to be female and highly educated than are their commercial counterparts.

Keywords: Europe, social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial engagement

JEL Classification: M13, L26, L21, L25, L31

Suggested Citation

Hoogendoorn, Brigitte and van der Zwan, Peter and Thurik, Roy and Thurik, Roy, Social Entrepreneurship and Performance: The Role of Perceived Barriers and Risk (June 6, 2011). ERIM Report Series Reference No. ERS-2011-016-ORG, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1910483

Brigitte Hoogendoorn (Contact Author)

Erasmus University Rotterdam ( email )

Burg. Oudlaan 50
Rotterdam, NL 3062 PA
Netherlands
0031 (0)10 4089525 (Phone)

Peter Van der Zwan

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) ( email )

P.O. Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam, NL 3062 PA
Netherlands

Roy Thurik

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Centre for Advanced Small Business Economics (CASBEC) ( email )

3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands
+31 10 408 2232 (Phone)
+31 10 408 9146 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.thurik.com

Montpellier Business School

France

Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM) ( email )

P.O. Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands

EIM Netherlands - Business and Policy Research

Postbus 7001
2701 AA Zoetermeer
Netherlands
+31 79 341 3634 (Phone)
+31 79 331 3742 (Fax)

Tinbergen Institute ( email )

Burg. Oudlaan 50
Rotterdam, 3062 PA
Netherlands

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