Upward, downward or steady: How social class experience shapes transnational social venturing

Abstract

Transnational social entrepreneurs leverage their cross-border knowledge and experiences to create and exploit opportunities in multiple markets. However, this knowledge and experience is not homogeneous or equally distributed among them. In this paper, we examine how the social class experiences of 18 transnational social entrepreneurs from the African diaspora living in the West influence their transnational social venturing. We identify four types of Transnational Social Class Experience (TSCE)—Grounded, Elite, Fallen and Elevated—each associated with a different approach to transnational social venturing. Our key contribution is introducing and unpacking the concept of Transnational Social Venturing Advantage (TSVA): the unique benefits that transnational social entrepreneurs can gain when their economic experiences across multiple countries intersect with the varied sociocultural environments they encounter. We also develop a framework that elucidates the connections between TSCE and social venturing approaches through TSVA. Taken together, our study advances the literature on transnational social venturing by unpacking the social class experience dynamics that enable transnational social entrepreneurs to access resources and understand their beneficiaries. It also advocates for a shift beyond a low versus high social class dichotomy in the broader (transnational) entrepreneurship discourse to a spectrum-based approach that accounts for social class experiences gained across borders.