Abstract:
Literature tells us that social enterprise, social economy (within which social enterprises are found) and social entrepreneurship are interpreted differently across countries and cultures by the practitioners and beneficiaries on the ground (Kerlin 2009). This is in large part because the drivers for these phenomena are context specific, particularly with consideration to three drivers, namely welfare regimes, market mechanisms and historic customs (Amin 2009). Elsewhere literature examines social enterprise as a discourse which has questionable relevance in less developed countries (Hackett 2010) and questions are being asked about the way that market discourses of social entrepreneurship impact on customs and the diversity of economic practices in less developed countries (Steyaert & Dey 2010). This paper tries to interpret the drivers and interpretations of social enterprise in rural Cambodia by unpacking some of the expressed assumptions about social enterprise/social entrepreneurship. Qualitative data is used to test assumptions about social enterprise related to inclusion, participation, equity, and about social entrepreneurship related to individualism, innovation, risk appetite, ethics and values. Alternative conceptions of collective entrepreneurship are also considered. The research uses qualitative methods to explore the meaning which respondents give to themes and concepts and it is based on three case studies of social enterprises. Two studies have been undertaken in the Rovieng District of the north-western Preah Vihear Province in Cambodia, and the third in the adjacent Kampong Thom Province.
