Network Approach in Social Entrepreneurship:preliminary Resultsof Empirical Research

The purpose of this article is to illustrate the possibilities of using network approach in social entrepreneurship as one of the key tools for the sustainability of social enterprises. The authors first consider the approaches to determine the nature of social entrepreneurship in general, as well as the prerequisites for applying network approach in social entrepreneurship in particular. Such a preliminary theoretical review is important, since despite the popularity of the concept “social entrepreneurship”, at the same time we observe great uncertainty and fragmentation in the theory of social entrepreneurship, in matters of legislative regulation and state support in this area. Defining the essence of social entrepreneurship through the prism of institutional analysis is most relevant, since it is an approach that makes it possible to correlate the benefits and costs of a particular form of organization at a fundamental level, to cover the phenomenon at large, and not just individual manifestations of its features. The effectiveness of the application of the network approach in various forms of organizations has long been proven both in the new institutional economic theory and in various management concepts. The application of network approach in social entrepreneurship is also relevant. The article considers certain implications in applying this form of organization of economic interaction in the field of social entrepreneurship. The paper presents the results of an empirical study conducted in February-April 2022 among Russian entrepreneurs while preparing for the interregional expert session «Entrepreneurial networks as a factor in the sustainable development of the territory». The survey conducted by the method of questioning, including closed and open questions involved 115 people from 30 regions of Russia - owners and founders of small and medium-sized businesses. The paper concludes with presenting possible ways of applying the results of empirical research for the development of network forms of organization in social entrepreneurship.