Social Entrepreneurship and Its Contribution to Economic and Social Development: Global Evidence

Abstract

The emergence of social entrepreneurship has been a vital tool for addressing social and economic challenges worldwide. However, the landscape of these enterprises varies in terms of scale, structure, and impact across regions. This study examines how social entrepreneurship contributes to economic and social development from a global perspective. The study is based on secondary cross-country data analysing the global distribution of social enterprises, their employment generation capacity, gender composition, and economic contribution. To assess development outcomes, multiple regression model is used with GDP per capita (PPP, constant 2021) as a measure of economic development and key predictors including social enterprises per capita, average turnover per enterprise, average job per enterprise, and the proportion of women-led social enterprises. A similar model evaluates social development, using the Human Development Index (HDI, 2024) as the outcome variable. The findings reveal significant regional differences in the development of social entrepreneurship. Developing economies tend to create more jobs through social enterprises, while developed economies show greater gender inclusivity in leadership. The empirical results also indicate that social entrepreneurship positively impacts both economic growth and social development. Importantly, qualitative.