ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD: A REVIEW, CRITIQUE, AND PATH FORWARD FOR SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESEARCH

Entrepreneurship is routinely promoted as a solution to our most pressing societal and environmental challenges. Two emerging literature streams have sought to examine how and when such solutions may emerge. In this review, we examine the literature on social entrepreneurship (SE) and environmental entrepreneurship (EE) to expose potential linkages, disconnects, and a path forward. We do so by combining bibliometric network analyses with a detailed qualitative review of the literature from 1994 to 2019. Through this process we: (a) identify a pattern of convergent evolution, whereby SE and EE share some common elements today, while originating in distinct scholarly communities with different epistemological roots; (b) offer a conceptual framework that identifies specific areas for collaboration and learning between SE and EE; and (c) propose how these streams can be integrated in order to elevate the impact of the field of entrepreneurship. We argue that such integration can enable entrepreneurship research to fulfill its promise of understanding how and when entrepreneurial action contributes to the public good.