Janelle A. Kerlin

Defining Social Enterprise Across Different Contexts: A Conceptual Framework Based on Institutional Factors

This study proposes a conceptual framework for institutional processes shaping social enterprise that spans regional differences in the term. Over time, countries and regions have come to identify different definitions and concepts with the term social enterprise, leading to a debate among researchers and practitioners on how to define the concept. Rather than a narrow definition, this study draws on the theory of historical institutionalism, national-level empirical data, and country descriptions of social enterprise to construct a conceptual framework that informs models of social enterprise found internationally. These models are preliminarily checked against empirically based case studies of five countries’ current institutional patterns and how they relate to the types of social enterprises found there. Theoretically this research advances understanding of how context influences the development of social enterprise, which in turn informs social enterprise models with practical implications.

Defining Social Enterprise Across Different Contexts

This study proposes a conceptual framework for institutional processes shaping social enterprise that spans regional differences in the term. Over time, countries and regions have come to identify different definitions and concepts with the term social enterprise, leading to a debate among researchers and practitioners on how to define the concept. Rather than a narrow definition, this study draws on the theory of historical institutionalism, national-level empirical data, and country descriptions of social enterprise to construct a conceptual framework that informs models of social enterprise found internationally. These models are preliminarily checked against empirically based case studies of five countries’ current institutional patterns and how they relate to the types of social enterprises found there. Theoretically this research advances understanding of how context influences the development of social enterprise, which in turn informs social enterprise models with practical implications.

Nonprofit Commercial Revenue A Replacement for Declining Government Grants and Private Contributions

This article examines whether there has been an increase in nonprofit commercial revenue and if so whether declines in government grants and private contributions were behind the rise. A number of nonprofit scholars have held that nonprofit commercial activity increased significantly during the 1980s and 1990s. Following on resource dependency theory, they suggest that nonprofits use commercial income as a replacement for lost government grant and private revenue. However, authors for and against this thesis have provided little empirical evidence to test these claims. This study uses the Internal Revenue Services’ Statistics of Income database to track sources of revenue for charitable nonprofit organizations from 1982 to 2002. Trend and panel analysis show that although there was a large increase in commercial revenue, there is little evidence the increase was associated with declines in government grants and private contributions. Findings point to institutional theory and have important implications for policymakers and nonprofit practitioners.

A quantitative critique of Kerlin’s macro-institutional social enterprise framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide the first large data-set regression analysis to test Kerlin’s (2013) macro-institutional social enterprise framework in relation to the country social enterprise models that flow from it. Kerlin (2013) offers a conceptual framework for country social enterprise models that allows countries to retain their unique understanding of social enterprise and better understand the factors influencing its development. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on the theory of historical institutionalism and multiple global datasets to test formal hypotheses on the relationship between macro-institutional factors and the size of the social enterprise sector across countries. Social enterprise data were obtained from the 2009 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor dataset. Hypotheses were tested using logistic hierarchical linear modeling. Findings – Results provide support for the framework at a significant level. Nearly half of the variance in the size of the social e...

Oil and Water Rarely Mix: Exploring the Relative Stability of Nonprofit Revenue Mixes Over Time

Abstract This paper explores whether nonprofits are increasingly adopting mixed revenue strategies, and the sustainability of these strategies over time. We constructed a panel using NCCS data from 1998 and 2007, and divided nonprofits into three groups: Commercial, Donative, and Mixed Revenue. We found no evidence that nonprofits are increasingly adopting mixed revenue strategies. Mixed revenue strategies appeared less sustainable over time than predominately commercial or predominately donative strategies. Our results suggest that for most nonprofits, relying predominately on either commercial or donative revenue (DR) is a more stable equilibrium than attempting to achieve a balanced revenue mix. Exceptions may be those nonprofits, such as arts organizations, where there is a natural alliance between donors and customers.

The Financing and Programming of Advocacy in Complex Nonprofit Structures

This article examines nonprofit environmental groups to demonstrate the impact of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Federal Election Commission (FEC) regulation on nonprofit organizations interested in advocacy work. This regulation encourages nonprofits interested in extended advocacy to form additional, related tax-exempt entities, creating complex nonprofit structures. Although regulatory barriers to charitable lobbying have received some attention, little has been written on how regulatory policy shapes the organizational structures, finances, and programming of nonprofits involved in advocacy. This study analyzes the complex structures of five environmental nonprofit groups using information they file with the IRS and FEC and interviews with key officers and representatives. It finds that even with strict regulatory compliance, financial and programmatic relationships across these complex structures can vary creating different types of complex nonprofit structures. The article models the different complex nonprofit structures and provides an analysis of the historical and legal risk factors that underlie them.

The Diffusion of State-Level Nonprofit Program Innovation The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Project

This article examines the diffusion of a state-level nonprofit program to other states across the United States. Current literature on innovation diffusion largely overlooks the diffusion of nonprofit program innovation. Although several streams of related diffusion research have considered organizational change and government policy transfer, they miss organizational and contextual factors particularly important for nonprofits. This study considers organizational and environmental factors in the transfer of state-level nonprofit program innovation using in-depth interviews with 74 policy actors to examine the spread of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Project to nonprofits in four states. It identifies similarities and differences between nonprofit program and government policy diffusion and proposes a modified framework for state-level nonprofit program diffusion that consists of multiple stages and participant roles.

A rehabilitation model for drug-addicted individuals in two Polish centers☆

A new rehabilitation model for drug-addicted individuals developed by psychologist and director, Jaroslaw Straszny, and his colleagues and patients is currently being implemented in two rehabilitation centers in Czechowice-Dziedzice and Bielsko-Biala, Poland. The model approaches drug addiction treatment from the human psychology perspective and underscores the significance of individual responsibility, initiative, and ability for self-direction in the treatment process. The purpose of the article is to describe where the model fits in the context of past and current rehabilitation efforts, show how the model is applied in the centers, and to provide a theoretical framework for the model. Updated statistics at the end of the article show that at the longest-operating center, 80% of the intravenous opiate users who completed the program have maintained abstinence and are, in general, coping well with life.