IS THERE AN ECOSYSTEM FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SINGAPORE? A STUDY OF THE ‘LIVED REALITIES’ OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Social enterprises fill the lacuna in social and environmental provision that governments, commercial enterprises and non-governmental organisations are unable to fully provide. In a time of a widening inequality gap and environmental deterioration, they play an ever-more important role in helping to combat these issues. An ecosystem that supports and creates a conducive environment for the growth of social entrepreneurship is thus integral. Many scholars have written about social entrepreneurship and traditional commercial entrepreneurial ecosystems but few have specifically addressed social entrepreneurial ecosystems. The study of the interaction between the ecosystem’s social context and the social entrepreneurial actor is one of interest to a Sociologist. This qualitative exploratory study hence sought to first develop a foundational conceptual framework for the studying of the social entrepreneurial ecosystem, then use this framework to gain insight into the actual conductivity of Singapore’s ecosystem via the ‘lived reality’ of its social entrepreneurs. Ten social entrepreneurs were interviewed, and the results represent their experiences in terms of their abilities to access the ecosystem’s resources and its functionality to the business. The results, based on the responses of the interviewees, show that Singapore has a conducive social entrepreneurial ecosystem within her grasp. Efforts have been made to lay the foundation and fulfill most aspects of the ecosystem. albeit there being a need to improve its quality, inclusivity and diversity. The social entrepreneurs also each experienced different levels of accessibility and functionality of the ecosystem’s resources that were available due to their dissimilar subjectivities such as business models, founders’ social backgrounds, business maturity and more.