Legitimate providers? An exploration of social enterprise in Norwegian welfare

Purpose As a nascent emergence, little is known about social enterprise (SE) in Norway, and to an even lesser extent, within public provision. Research on legitimacy suggests that new and institutionally disruptive organisations face particular legitimacy challenges. This paper aims to explore the issue of legitimacy in connection to SEs as public providers in Norway. Design/methodology/approach The study examines the experiences of public buyers and SEs using rich empirical data from semi-structured interviews. The study also takes the legitimacy concept from institutional theory to theoretically inform and investigate their perceptions as found in the data. Findings The study finds that four main themes emerge that reflect SE nascence and conceptual ambiguity, broader paradigmatic shifts, buyer ideals and indiscriminate, embedded institutional practice. Consequently, SEs are embroiled in overlapping and at times contradictory frames which directly shape their perceived legitimacy as welfare providers. Originality/value This paper contributes to research on SE in connection with welfare provision. It offers a theoretically informed and nuanced depiction of the phenomenon viewed through a legitimacy lens. Resultantly, it contributes to new knowledge of how public purchasers perceive SEs as public providers, which holds multiple implications for the evolution and trajectory of SEs in Norway.