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Social enterprise as political work: perspectives from the Global South

Journal: Public Management Review

Date: 2024

Author: Yanto Chandra, Simon Teasdale

Abstract:
The political work of social enterprises is often neglected in the ‘West; and is almost completely ignored in the ‘Global South’ where it is assumed social enterprises fill institutional voids––operating in areas where governments and markets are broken. Stimulated by calls for more studies on the political work of social enterprises and our initial discovery of cases that exhibit this aspect of social enterprises operating in the Global South, we conducted an inductive study of nine social enterprises from the Global South. We found that social enterprises in the Global South, similar to those in the west, engage in different forms of paradoxical political work––simultaneously working outside of and with governments, while also critiquing policy. Notably, however, the tactics they employ tend to be more subtle and less visible to the western eye. Our study makes a new contribution to better understand how social enterprises engage with government in different ways to achieve their goals.

Link: Google Scholar

Background and Context

Research Gap

The political work of social enterprises is often neglected in Western research and almost completely ignored in studies focused on the Global South.

Methodology

This inductive study examined nine social enterprises across eight countries in the Global South, collecting data through interviews and supplementary materials from 2013-2020.

Case Selection

The cases operated across different political contexts, including both weak governments (Myanmar, Kenya, Venezuela, Philippines, India) and strong/authoritarian governments (Indonesia, Kuwait, China).

Social Enterprises Engage in Three Distinct Forms of Political Work

Social enterprises engage in three distinct forms of political work to create space for agency.
These approaches can be used simultaneously or at different points in an organization's development.
Each approach represents a different relationship between social enterprises and government or power structures.

Framework Showing Complex Relationship Between Political Work and Government Engagement

Social enterprises navigate a complex matrix of political engagement balancing critique and government collaboration.
Most social enterprises in the study started in the upper right quadrant with strong critique and working outside government.
Over time, many evolved toward the lower left quadrant, softening critique as they gained a seat at the table.

Contextual Factors Shaping Social Enterprise Political Work Tactics

Multiple contextual factors influence how social enterprises conduct political work in different Global South settings.
In authoritarian contexts, even subtle critique can be dangerously subversive compared to Western democracies.
Social enterprises must adapt political tactics based on cultural tolerance for dissent and government type.

Country-Specific Variations in Social Enterprise Political Work Approaches

Social enterprises in countries with strong authoritarian governments use more subtle, euphemistic forms of critique.
In countries with weaker governments, social enterprises can engage in more direct challenges to policy.
Indian social enterprises demonstrated stronger criticism, reflecting the country's democratic traditions allowing more dissent.

Evolution of Social Enterprise Political Work Over Time

Social enterprises typically follow a developmental trajectory in their political work over time.
Initially operating outside government with stronger critique, they gradually move toward cooperative engagement.
As social enterprises prove their model's effectiveness, they often gain legitimacy to influence policy from within.

Contribution and Implications

Social enterprises in the Global South use similar political strategies to those in the West, but with more subtle tactics.
What appears as weak critique in Western contexts can be highly subversive within authoritarian or restrictive environments.
Rather than just filling institutional voids, social enterprises actively engage with government to shape policies.
The study challenges Western perspectives that view social enterprises primarily as alternatives to dysfunctional governments.
Context-specific approaches to political work are essential to understand social enterprises' impact across the Global South.

Data Sources

The framework and visualizations were constructed based on Figure 2 in the article showing political work types.
The case distribution visualization was created from Table 1 and the country information in the methodology section.
The evolution timeline was derived from the article's discussion of how SEs' political work changes over time.
The contextual factors visualization was developed from the findings about what influences political work approaches.
All visualizations represent qualitative findings from the inductive analysis of nine social enterprises across eight countries.