Analysis of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Guanajuato, Mexico from complex social networks

Abstract

In Mexico, the interest in social enterprises has increased in the last 20 years as an alternative to the profit maximization approach of the company. They seek to solve a social problem, improve the conditions of the population they are targeting, modify the consumption habits of their clients, and seek social transformation through a social business model. The policies to promote entrepreneurship in the State of Guanajuato have focused mainly on the creation of traditional and, recently, technology-based enterprises with limited promotion of social entrepreneurship, which is sometimes confused with projects with low added value and without a clear strategy. Despite this, there are different initiatives in the educational and business sectors and at the local government level that promote the creation of social enterprises, leading to the emergence of a social entrepreneurship ecosystem. In this research, university students and young professionals, who have participated in state social volunteering programs and who have the potential to become entrepreneurs, identify the main actors in the ecosystem and the preferred connections for the development of enterprises with social impact. It is contrasted with the real links that social entrepreneurs had in their startup stage to analyze their perception of effectiveness, as well as the potential for strengthening the enterprise, innovation, and scalability. The Social Network Analysis is used with the Gephi software; its main metrics are identified such as its centrality, betweenness centrality, and modularity, which allows consideration of actors who could consolidate the Ecosystem of Social Entrepreneurship in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico.

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Keywords

young entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship ecosystem, social entrepreneurship, social innovation, B corporation