Social entrepreneurship as a catalyst for sustainability transitions: The China case

Abstract

In this article, we introduce the 5 papers that have been selected for the publication of the special feature titled Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Transitions. Their common theme is the catalytic role that social entrepreneurs, an identity shared by people regardless of their professions or positions, play in China’s transitions toward sustainability. The stories told connect the rise of a rural tourism industry to the village entrepreneurs, place rural cadres in the central position on the long path of development in one of China’s best-known rags-to-riches regions, and highlight the role of business managers in signaling public trust or managing complex nonfinancial disclosures. The qualitative and quantitative studies reported shed light on how these socially embedded entrepreneurs broke the equilibria underlying the prolonged sustainability challenges, from extreme poverty to unhealthy growth to weak institutions, and laid pathways toward new ones that promised sustainability. By way of this special feature, we highlight a welcoming new trend in social entrepreneurship research that expand the scope of potential impact from directly affected stakeholders to cover the ripple effects of social entrepreneurial activities. We also echo the call for multilens, multisector, multiscalar and interdisciplinary research and for the adoption of the interpretive, critical, and pragmatic approaches that complement the popular positivist approach, which we believe will improve the relevance and impact of business and management research. We welcome more papers that establish solid links between social entrepreneurship and sustainability transitions.