Research

As part of a broader trend toward innovation with more direct social impact, new social entrepreneurial ventures and start-ups have proliferated in recent years. Social entrepreneurs set out to develop and fund solutions that directly address social issues with impact on communities, societies, and the world at large while trying to generate revenue by operating within the confines of the market economy.  

By addressing issues affecting people and places often overlooked by business and government due to misaligned incentives or priorities, social entrepreneurship holds immense potential to generate above-average social returns through the promotion of innovation in the areas that need it most. Traditional innovation models and ecosystem studies have thus far turned a blind eye to these forms of socially motivated, community-based, and localized innovation models. As a result, innovation policy has not been optimally designed to support social entrepreneurship.  

To address these issues, this 2024 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII), with in-depth case studies and contributions by experts, puts the spotlight on social entrepreneurship, addressing three critical questions for unleashing the potential of this promising new phenomenon: What is the state of social entrepreneurship globally? How do social enterprises create positive impact, and what role does innovation play? How can policy help to unlock the promise of social entrepreneurship?

This chapter is part of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index 2024 and is jointly authored by Marya Besharov, Professor of Organisations and Impact and Skoll Centre Academic Director, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Kevin Miner, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford with Anmol Kaur Grewal and Sacha Wunsch-Vincent from the World Intellectual Property Organization.