Social Entrepreneurs: An Oxymoron in Name Only?

by Ken Caplan

What’s in a name?

Over the past few years, rather belatedly compared to other sectors, the water and sanitation sector has begun using the phrase “social entrepreneurs”.  The term however is far from new – according to Wikipedia, it was first coined back in the 1960s.  The essence of the concept is that entrepreneurial principles are applied to (re)solve social (or environmental) problems. 

The term came up recently on two television programmes here in the UK – The Apprentice and Dragon’s Den.  The first is a programme aimed at whittling down a group of self-described “entrepreneurs” to join a major corporation or win an investment in their business idea.  Similarly, Dragon’s Den sees a range of individuals or small businesses pitching for investment in their idea, product or business from a handful of “powerful” investors.  Unsurprisingly, as both focus on the financial bottom line (of making a return on an investment), it is easy to see how for some the term “social enterprise” can represent an oxymoron, as was directly stated on both programmes.  Maybe the term hasn’t quite caught on in the actual business world then?  Enterprise is after all usually equated with business, which requires profits to thrive.  If someone is described as “enterprising”, though, it can either mean that they take the initiative to solve problems or that they are good at making money from whatever venture they get involved in.

Social enterprises have grown up most notably around micro-credit but also around healthcare, the organic food movement, and a range of other sectors.  These are “social” in the sense that they provide a value that contributes to society.  They still require a “profit” to sustain themselves, to incentivise or reward those involved, or to expand (although the social nature of the initiative suggests that margins or return on the investment is presumably not meant to be very high).  

Although perhaps not labelling it as such, in various ways BPD has been exploring "social entrepreneurship", particularly in the sanitation sector, for a few years now.  For example, at present we are working with WSUP (Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor) to understand how community managed service delivery can apply more business-like principles (to ensure their sustainability) or how local private sector management can be more poverty-focused by incorporating elements of community management.  Our work in this area is ongoing, but we will keep blog readers posted on how our thinking evolves...

Sanitation 'Entrepreneurs' – or Just Minding their own Business?

by David Schaub-Jones
 

Sanitation zooms up the charts

If the water and sanitation sector had a ‘hit parade’ (if you’re my age and ever watched the BBC, think ‘Top of the Pops’) then the song “Sanitation, everyone’s Business” would be zooming up the charts. Hell, it would easily be in the top ten by now. 

We have just come back from Stockholm Water Week, where the whirl of discussion around all things water, sanitation, hygiene (and now, climate) was intense as ever. Not so long ago, when BPD ran a session on sanitation it was one of a measly two sessions on the topic all week. This year we, along with a few friends, ran a session on ‘sanitation entrepreneurs’ and a hundred and fifty people packed into a small room (meant for ninety) just so they could experience ‘sanitation speed dating’! See our facebook profile for some unusual photos.

A few happy trends are pushing the ‘sanitation entrepreneurs’ tune on its heady climb up the charts. One is that sanitation has itself improved its profile, thanks partly to a concerted push from activists to ‘get it on the map’ (while having the Gates Foundation weigh into the issue has certainly not hurt).

 

The business of sanitation vs social entrepreneurship

Another is the popularity of anything that can be labelled ‘social entrepreneurship’. Here sanitation has two advantages. As with water, there is lots of informal private activity on the ground. Yet compared to water, sanitation is politically much less contested. This means that no-one is (yet?) making a fuss about sanitation providers ‘profiteering from the poor’. A second advantage, if you can call it that, is that sanitation is so firmly in the ‘public goods’ camp that just about anyone taking a private sector approach can add the tagline ‘social’ to their activities and get away with it (HT Sophie Tremolet).

Which brings me to my point. Just how much sanitation entrepreneurship is there out there anyway? As I said, there is a lot of private business involvement in sanitation, particularly in developing countries where much of it is informal. But how much of this can be considered truly entrepreneurial, never mind qualify for the seemingly hallowed tag of 'social entrepreneurship'?

BPD (or is that just me?) may be as guilty as anyone for the boosterism associated with the topic. Yet a couple of sessions in Stockholm – BPD’s on sanitation entrepreneurs and another on small scale finance – brought home to me just how far we may have to go. 

More on this, the 'missing middle' next week .....

PS these are not meant as rhetorical questions - please weigh in!