The makings of a social entrepreneur: A study of the concept and the role, applied to the case of Stadsbruk

Abstract: As an effect of the neoliberalist development, the public sector has outsourced the provision of some public services to the private and the third sector. This has led to the expansion of the latter, and a more central position of the actors related to it; among them the social entrepreneur. A social entrepreneur has the objective of creating social impact, while adopting a more business-like approach. This is often a way of achieving financial sustainability or competitive advantage.The aim of this thesis is twofold; first of all, to explore the concept of social entrepreneurship, what it entails and how it is applied. Secondly, it is viewed from the more concrete perspective of the role of a social entrepreneur. In order to operationalise the research, the role of a social entrepreneur is contemplated on in relation to one specific actor, namely Stadsbruk. They are an incubator for commercial urban farmers, with ambition of creating social impact on several levels. The discussion treats how they, as a social entrepreneurial actor, stand in relation to the public sector, the power structure it creates and their position in the urban context, primarily concerning aspects of space and power.The findings of this study indicate that there needs to be a balance between entrepreneurial ambitions and objectives of creating a social impact for an actor to qualify as a social entrepreneur. As the field of research on social entrepreneurship is in a pre-paradigmatic state, it is reasonable to expect that the concept will be more clearly defined if or when the paradigm is set. Moreover, theories on narratives shaping the paradigm of social entrepreneurship suggest that there are different trajectories. However, one might also consider re-evaluating the concept of a traditional entrepreneur; the social entrepreneur could simply be a more holistic approach to entrepreneurship in general. Finally, the activities of a social entrepreneur are often related to that of the public sector. The results of the research imply a power structure, in which the social entrepreneur (in the case of this study Stadsbruk) are subordinate the public sector, due to structures of dependency, etc. This also relates to Massey’s theory on power relations in connection to space; power-geometry. An actor like Stadsbruk are positioned in the urban context, in which to struggles and relations of power and aspects of space are inevitable.