Social Incubators or Social Work? : Exploring Social Incubators in Mexico
Abstract: Alongside the evolution of incubators, research on the subject has also progressed and today constitutes an extensive field of research. However, we argue that academia has too narrowly focused on business incubators, and thus neglected other types of incubators. As such, the purpose of this study was to provide a holistic understanding of what social incubators are, their process and their impact. Through the use semi-structured interviews, observations and textual data from a single case study – Mexico University – with three sub-units of analysis, the findings we reached were threefold. First, social incubators are physical spaces for social interaction and development in which socially vulnerable individuals, through the use of cross-sectoral partnerships and community adapted development services, are empowered to become agents of their own social transformation. Second, in the social incubation process, incubatees are first selected after which the social incubators probe to understand their needs. Subsequently, incubatees are given general services and are enrolled in social development programs that are tailored in accordance to those needs. After graduating, incubatees are anew offered different services, once again, based on probing and tailoring after-services according to their needs. Third, having completed this process, our initial understanding of social incubator impact is that their practices have a psychological and professional impact on incubatees, which then impact the communities in which they live.
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