Social entrepreneurship development in collective-based initiatives: A qualitative study of African Burial Societies

Background: The Global North determines the agenda for most discussions between scholars and policymakers.

Research objectives: The article investigates how studies featuring the African context can enhance social entrepreneurship theories.

Research design and methods: Current theorization lacks clarity on initiatives that use for-profit ventures to create value only for their members and those that create value for the broader society. Although many scholars portray both of these initiatives as characteristic of social entrepreneurship, this article challenges that view through the venture matrix it develops. The study applies the matrix to a homogeneous case of 145 African burial societies.

Results: The results of the study support the matrix. Using extant literature on social capital in collective-based initiatives (CBIs) and findings from a qualitative study of 13 burial societies that operate for-profit ventures, the article presents a model of social entrepreneurship development in CBIs and discusses its practical implications.

Conclusions: Burial societies in Africa are changing, embracing social entrepreneurship and providing researchers with new lenses for their understanding.