Social Enterprises

Social enterprises have been a growing phenomenon around the world in the past decade. The authors of this volume argue that they represent a unique type of organization. By combining social goals with a business orientation, both critical for their mission and survival, they represent a breed of organization with two kinds of logic that in the past were not perceived as belonging under the same organizational roof. The business logic, with its focus on competition and private ownership, did not seem a fitting context in which to deal with social issues or problems. These are traditionally dealt with by a service logic that emphasizes a charitable, empathetic orientation. Putting these two orientations together calls for creative organizational solutions, especially if these organizations are to be stable and sustainable. Social Enterprises presents a first attempt to do that. An organizational perspective of social enterprises allows us to analyze issues such as their governing structure, their modes of operation and their marketing strategies, and begins to formulate some theoretical constructs on how these entities can survive and thrive. This volume provides not only a theoretical and empirical basis to examine these issues, but an international perspective as well.

BENJAMIN GIDRON has been researching non-profit organizations and related issues for the past 25 years. He founded and directed the Israeli Center for Third sector Research (ICTR) in Ben Gurion University, Israel (1997-2009). He was also the Founding President of the International Society for Third sector Research (ISTR). He is currently studying social enterprises at the Israeli Social Enterprise Research Center (ISERC) which he established at the Beit Berl Academic College.


YEHESKEL HASENFELD conducts research on the relationship between social policy, the organizations that implement them and the well-being of the clients served by them. He has conducted studies on welfare reform, has completed a longitudinal survey of non-profit human service organizations in Los Angeles, and is currently doing research on Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs).