This paper examines the relationships among social entrepreneurship, social innovation and inclusive economic development through a structured synthesis of research addressing social mission, hybrid organizations, entrepreneurial capabilities, institutional ecosystems, grassroots innovation, employment, empowerment, financial inclusion and sustainable development. The literature shows that social entrepreneurship can contribute to inclusion when economic viability is combined with an explicit social mission supported by appropriate governance, stakeholder engagement and institutional conditions. Social innovation extends this perspective by emphasizing collaborative processes, locally embedded knowledge, community participation and institutional transformation. The reviewed contributions also indicate that inclusion cannot be reduced to business growth, technological diffusion or income generation. It encompasses employment quality, capabilities, participation, agency, access to finance, gender empowerment, territorial opportunities and sustainable-development outcomes. Particular attention is therefore given to the conditions under which socially oriented organizations and innovations generate measurable benefits for disadvantaged populations. The paper argues that organizational intentions should be distinguished from demonstrated developmental outcomes and that the assessment of social entrepreneurship and social innovation requires multidimensional indicators. Overall, inclusive economic development appears to depend on the interaction between entrepreneurial capacity, social-purpose orientation, participation, institutional support and the equitable distribution of opportunities and benefits across individuals, communities and territories.
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OUEDRAOGO Souleymane (2026) studied this question.