Advancing Social Entrepreneurship Research: A Morphological Analysis and Future Research Agenda

The social entrepreneurship (SE) literature is suggested to be in a pre-paradigmatic state lacking construct legitimacy and undefined theoretical content and boundaries. To address this issue, we undertook a morphological analysis of SE research to determine core themes and to capture the characteristics of SE ecology in an integrated framework. Specifically, it facilitates a deeper understanding of resources, opportunities, and strategies for greater value creation. Our framework also facilitates mid-range theory building in SE that will advance this promising field of research. We proffer a structuralised and integrated framework that provides consensus on the structural and ecological dynamics of the SE phenomenon. Overall, the paper makes a theoretical contribution by which the practitioners, policymakers, and social entrepreneurs can draw practical implications by understanding this field as an integrated and comprehensive body of knowledge.