Social Entrepreneurship - To Act as if and Make a Difference (Hardcover)

A timely contribution to social entrepreneurship research from a Scandinavian view. Taking entrepreneurship as creative action in society as a whole, the authors counter widely held perceptions of (social) entrepreneurship: it is not an elite phenomenon but a form of action that we all engage in from time to time; it is not about system-changing disruptions but generally about small but real improvements in everyday life; it is not about autonomous action but about realizing freedom potential in societies where knowledge and learning have become essential for civic action.' - Rafael Ziegler, University of Greifswald, Germany'This book offers an innovative, theory-driven account of social entrepreneurship that is located in new thinking around the constructs of community and 'public' entrepreneurship. Bjerke and Karlsson draw on a wide range of sources to offer useful new insights and analyses of this emerging sector and contribute a variety of useful and challenging new models of the relationship between society, innovation, and politics. All in all, this represents a valuable addition to the growing theoretical literature on social innovation and entrepreneurship.' - Alex Nicholls, University of Oxford, UK This informative book examines some social entrepreneurs in practice in several countries whilst concentrating on entrepreneurs in the third sector. The authors call them citizen entrepreneurs. Such people are not only becoming more common but also more necessary in the world of today. Entrepreneurs are seen as people who aim 'to act as if and make a difference', that is, who act out of the ordinary and come up with noticeable solutions to various problems without being restricted by existing resources or possibilities. This book applies these criteria to citizen entrepreneurs, focusing on public entrepreneurs operating in public places. The authors conduct in-depth case studies to examine these public entrepreneurs thoroughly and offer some theoretical reflections on social entrepreneurship. Students and researchers studying social entrepreneurship will find this book of great interest. Social entrepreneurs and practitioners would also benefit considerably from this enriching resource.