ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the origins and development of the field of social entrepreneurship. It examines the definitions and boundaries of social entrepreneurship, including social entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurship, sustainable entrepreneurship and ‘ecopreneurs’. Social entrepreneurship is the recognition of a social problem and the subsequent use of entrepreneurship principles to organize, create and manage a local venture to achieve a desired change within the communities where such initiatives operate. The increase in the volume of academic references, studies and centers for social entrepreneurship, and the establishment of social entrepreneurship in many business schools curricula throughout the world is one particular indicator of the interest in the topic. Growth in the interest in social entrepreneurship is evident in several areas: firstly, the number of publications and the rise of publication frequency. The Skoll Foundation’s definition further emphasizes the transformational nature of social entrepreneurship whereby “social entrepreneurs both take direct action and seek to transform the existing systems.
