CFP: 2nd International Social Entrepreneurship Research Conference

[entrepreneurship-phd at lists.uni-essen.de]

Call for Papers - 2nd International Social Entrepreneurship Research
Conference
New York University
7-8 April, 2006

Social Entrepreneurship has become a global phenomenon that impacts the
lives of citizens by using innovative approaches to solving social
problems. Academic interest in the topic has focused on practitioner
events (such as show case conferences, best practice cases, managerial
publications) and teaching in MBA electives. Social entrepreneurship,
however, has not been subject to rigorous academic analysis. As a
result, we have a limited understanding of the theoretical foundations
of this phenomenon.

To address this void, we are convening a social entrepreneurship
research conference that focuses on making scholarly contributions to
the field. This knowledge generating event will bring scholars from
around the world to New York to present their theories and frameworks
for understanding social entrepreneurship.

Following on the success of our first conference in Barcelona in 2005,
we expect the outcomes of this second conference to be 1) the refinement
of theoretical concepts and scholarly ideas regarding this area of
research, 2) the establishment of a research network for thought
leadership and knowledge generation in social entrepreneurship, and 3)
the planning of future scholarly activities. Our convening will be a
step toward securing creative partnerships and cross-national research
projects that will broaden our understanding of this important
phenomenon.

For the purpose of this conference we view social entrepreneurship
broadly as the process of using entrepreneurial and business skills to
create innovative approaches to social problems. Social entrepreneurs
find innovative ways to address issues such as poverty, education,
environmental protection, or health. They do this through pure
for-profit firms, pure not-for-profits, as well as a large number of
hybrid organizational forms. We are seeking both empirical and
conceptual/theoretical papers from scholars interested in social
entrepreneurship as a global phenomenon and encourage submissions that
apply different perspectives and theoretical lenses.

In alignment with the objectives of the conference, we have provided
examples of both context and topic areas that would be appropriate for
this conference:

Contexts

1. Early Stage - the new social venture creation process and the
challenges of the startup and sustainability of the social venture.
2. Growth and Scale - the growth and scaling of social ventures.
3. International Ventures - the social venture across different national
and institutional contexts; social ventures that operate in several
nations.

Topics

1. Innovation: What types of social impact innovations are developed in
social ventures? Where do they come from? How are they implemented?
2. Performance Metrics: How do social entrepreneurs understand success
and which measures do they use to assess their performance? What are the
possibilities and limits of approaches such as the social return on
investment (S-ROI) analysis?
3. Social Venture Capital Markets: Are the financing mechanisms and
criteria for social venture capital different from those from
traditional venture capital? What theories might explain the
underdevelopment of the social venture capital markets?
4. Demographics: What are the typical sectors social ventures emerge in?
Are there differences by country? What is the typical size, growth, and
ownership structure?
5. Networks: Can the characteristics of social networks influence the
sustainability of social entrepreneurial ventures?
6. Public policy: In what way would policy measures differ, if at all,
for facilitating the sustainability of social entrepreneurial ventures?
7. Values: What role can values (ethical or moral) play in ensuring the
sustainability of newly formed ventures?
8. Strategic considerations: How do social ventures establish their
value net? Do social ventures require specific resource strategies?
9. Organizational development: What role do systems and processes play
in ensuring the sustainability of the social venture?
10. Governance: What role do governance mechanisms play in ensuring the
sustainability of the social entrepreneurial venture over time?
11. Exit: What are typical exit strategies for social ventures? How do
these differ from traditional ventures? How can social ventures maintain
their mission beyond the exit of the founding team?
12. Sustainable Development: How can social entrepreneurship play a role
in sustainable development?

Interested parties should submit full papers by January 20, 2006 via
e-mail to iserc at stern.nyu.edu. Papers will be reviewed by a panel.
Participants will be informed about acceptance during the 2nd week of
February. or more information about the conference, contact us via
e-mail at iserc at stern.nyu.edu .We look forward to an engaging discussion
in New York.

The Conveners of the International Social Entrepreneurship Research
Conference (ISERC)

Jeffrey Robinson, Ph.D., New York University, Stern School of Business
Johanna Mair, Ph.D.,  IESE Business School
Kai Hockerts, Ph.D., Copenhagen Business School