The Social Enterprise Zoo employs the metaphor of the zoo to gain a more comprehensive understanding of social enterprise – especially the diversity of its forms; the various ways it is organized in different socio-political environments; how different forms of enterprise behave, interact, and thrive; and what lessons can be drawn for the future development and study of organizations that seek to balance social or environmental impact with economic success. Recommended for students, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and managers of social purpose organizations.

This book review presents “The Social Enterprise Zoo: A Guide for Perplexed Scholars, Entrepreneurs, Philanthropists, Leaders, Investors, and Policymakers”, edited by Dennis Young, Elizabeth Searing and Cassady Brewer and published by Edward Elgar in 2016. It does so by illustrating the strengths and vulnerabilities that can be spotted across the chapters of a book that will prove to be a foundational work in nonprofit and social innovation studies. Among its many achievements, two are most noteworthy: the proper and effective use of a biological analogy in a work of social science and, relatedly, a powerful and flexible framework for understanding the past, present, and future of social enterprises, that is, organizations attempting to blend social purpose and profit.

Social enterprises (SE) emerge where there are opportunities to find new ways to balance otherwise competing interests and to achieve social purposes in ways that are better than and distinct from traditional approaches. Understanding whether the zoo and its elements are achieving these purposes, making progress, or causing harm is complicated and difficult. The challenges begin with assessing essential things that cannot be measured easily or well. They continue with how SE simultaneously has social impact at so many levels: individual, organizational, communal, within and among parts of the zoo, and society as a whole. They are exacerbated by the need to account for gains in one social impact area possibly being accompanied by harm in another. Of course, being complicated or challenging or even presently unprovable is no excuse for not trying. In that spirit this chapter approaches assessing the social impact of SE, its potential, and its distinguishing character at three key levels: the broad zoo itself for which the search for assessment tools is ongoing; the specific habitats and animals for which metrics, measures and standards might be more accessible but for which accurate cross-purpose benchmarking is still a challenge; and the broader contexts within which the SE zoo exists, including traditional business, philanthropy, and the governmental regulatory environment. It is with respect to the latter - particularly with regard to priority of purpose and public accountability - that the social enterprise zoo has had its clearest impact so far.

Growing numbers of employees, consumers, and investors want companies to be truly good; these stakeholders will accept lower economic returns in order to support companies that prioritize sustainability, fair wages, and fair trade. Unlike charities or non-profit organizations, such companies - or social enterprises - are not only permitted but also expected to produce an economic return for investors. Yet, unlike traditional business ventures, social enterprises have no obligation to maximize profits, even on a long-term basis. In this comprehensive volume, Benjamin Means and Joseph W. Yockey bring together leading legal scholars and practitioners to offer an authoritative guide to social enterprise law and policy. The Cambridge Handbook of Social Enterprise Law takes stock of the field and charts a course for its future development. It should be read by entrepreneurs, investors, practitioners, academics, students and anyone else interested in how companies are evolving to address new demands for capitalism with a conscience.

This open-access book brings together international experts who shed new light on the status of social enterprises, benefit corporations and other purpose-driven companies. The respective chapters take a multidisciplinary approach (combining law, philosophy, history, sociology and economics) and provide valuable insights on fostering social entrepreneurship and advancing the common good. In recent years, we have witnessed a significant shift of how business activities are conducted, mainly through the rise of social enterprises. In an effort to target social problems at their roots, social entrepreneurs create organizations that bring transformative social changes by considering, among others, ethical, social, and environmental factors. A variety of social enterprise models are emerging internationally and are proving their vitality and importance. But what does the term “social enterprise” mean? What are its roots? And how does it work in practice within the legal framework of any country? This handbook attempts to answer these questions from a theoretical, historical, and comparative perspective, bringing together 44 contributions written by 71 expert researchers and practitioners in this field. The first part provides an overview of the social enterprise movement, its evolution, and the different forms entities can take to meet global challenges, overcoming the limits of what governments and states can do. The second part focuses on the emergence of benefit corporations and the growing importance of sustainability and societal values, while also analyzing their different legal forms and adaptation to their regulatory environment. In turn, the last part presents the status quo of purpose-driven companies in 36 developed and emerging economies worldwide. This handbook offers food for thought and guidance for everyone interested in this field. It will benefit practitioners and decision-makers involved in social and community organizations, as well as in international development and, more generally speaking, social sciences and economics.

Using evidence from the microfinance sector, which is considered a leading sector of social entrepreneurship, this book attempts to push the boundaries of research in this field. While recent studies consider that commercial enterprises, not-for-profits and social enterprises are formed by entrepreneurs with different personal identities, they do not explain why these personalities may change before they convert their social enterprises, and change further at the stage of transitioning into commercial enterprises. Presenting a theory of development and evolution for social enterprises which examines the dynamics associated with change, impact and growth and an in-depth critical view of motivation, funding and profit, this book examines how that impacts the social mission and enterprise structure in the wake of hybrid and for-profit models and corporate philanthropy. The author highlights the ‘cracks’ in social entrepreneurship and asks how they are being filled, institutionally.

This book situates zoos as trusted cultural institutions with valuable affordances for engaging people in natural resource conservation.