Research on Social Enterprises from an Emerging Economy—Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Directions

Abstract

Social enterprises (SE) have played a prominent role in overcoming social problems in society and supporting sustainable development. In line with global trends, there is a growing interest of business firms, policymakers, and scholars in and engagement with SEs in emerging economies, such as India, as a promising and viable mechanism to address varied, complex, and widespread social development problems. In the wake of the increasing engagement of scholars and businesses, it is crucial to collate, review and synthesise scholarly research to develop a holistic understanding of SE operation in a developing economy set up. This article presents a systematic literature review of scholarly research on Indian SEs. The study analysed 101 peer-reviewed articles published over the last three decades, elaborates the evolution of research, presents a business model canvas of Indian SEs, extends the understanding of the interplay of value systems of society, growth of social entrepreneurship culture, and emerging market economies. The scholarly research is classified into six core research themes, major findings are reported and research gaps are identified to provide directions for future research.