Positive economics

Sociology

Neuroscience

Scope (computer science)

Social entrepreneurship

Social science

Economic growth

Epistemology

Philosophy

Balance (ability)

Political science

Psychology

Economics

Social change

Law and economics

Programming language

Legislation

Face (sociological concept)

Public relations

Computer science

Entrepreneurship

Mechanism (biology)

Social issues

Journal of Management Studies

Social entrepreneurship has developed as an important area of theory and practice over the past three decades. Despite a broad consensus that it is a desirable method for addressing social and environmental problems, I argue it may instead have a negative societal impact as it reduces the pressure for ambitious legislation and institutional reforms that have more scope to effect change. Social entrepreneurs themselves are prone to a form of ‘solutionism’ in which they believe complex social problems can be addressed neatly through the apparatus of the entrepreneur, something I argue is ineffectual and inappropriate for tackling many of the deep‐seated and essentially ‘public’ structural problems we face. I offer some suggestions as to how researchers can provide some critical balance to theories of social entrepreneurship, specifically through better demarcating when social entrepreneurship is an optimal mechanism for addressing social problems, and when public policy may be preferable.

Social Entrepreneurship’s Solutionism Problem