The emergence of social entrepreneurship in Russia

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to build a typology of social entrepreneurship in Russian Federation and describe the related models based on a deep understanding of the current institutional context and the positioning of social entrepreneurship in the arena of market and non-market activities. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on secondary data sources including legal documents, annual reports and websites of the social entrepreneurship-related organizations. Findings This paper finds that social entrepreneurship in Russia is located between civil society, the State and the market and it is the State that became a main driving force behind social entrepreneurship development. Originality/value This paper is the first to perceive the social entrepreneurship in modern Russia as a phenomenon with “semi-official” status. The original models and the very typology of social entrepreneurship are based on the newly introduced concept of “social-entrepreneurial mission”.