ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how certain forms of Social Business Hybrids (SBHs) can function as Empowering Organizations – entities that foster empowerment among people experiencing marginalization and disempowerment. After a brief overview of key contributions to the study of SBHs, the chapter outlines the main types of SBHs and the enabling mechanisms they activate. Using the Capability Approach as a theoretical lens, it explores how SBHs can enhance economic capabilities through two distinct mechanisms: Access enablement and creation enablement. These mechanisms are then considered in relation to the concept of the locus of empowerment, understood as a safe and open space for reconnection. By integrating these two dimensions – the enabling mechanisms and the empowerment locus – the chapter proposes a new theoretical framework. This model serves to define and classify Empowering SBHs, providing a structured approach to understanding their potential impact on human development.
