Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle East: Old Practice, New Concept // Law and Entrepreneurship // Blog Network // University of Notre Dame

https://ssir.org/articles/entry/social_entrepreneurship_in_the_middle_east_old_practice_new_concept

This article is very interesting in the sense that it provides concrete examples of communities in other countries taking steps for the progress of social entrepreneurship. Specifically, in the Middle East, social entrepreneurs in regional communities attempt to improve the economic and social situations of their areas that usually go against the policies and regulations of their respective governments. For example, the author mentions that the lack of an unreliable energy system from the Lebanese government spurs alternative energy social enterprises in smaller communities to create solutions that are practical to fixing the problems stemming from the government’s inattentiveness towards finding these solutions. Furthermore, another interesting point was that the author discussed that there are generally a variety of legal frameworks because of the informal nature of these organizations, which creates innovative methods for social entrepreneurs to navigate governmental regulations, find loopholes to remain “legal” in the region, and still remain beneficial to improve the quality of life in these areas.

Any thoughts?

One thought on “Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle East: Old Practice, New Concept”

Very interesting article indeed. I relate to many of the ideas reflected in the article, being from the Middle East myself, and particularly with its thesis that social entrepreneurship has really been in existence there as a way of life but not as an academic concept. I think a lot of it has to do with the shortcomings of the government coupled with the social fabric of society. In most Arabic societies hospitality makes up a great deal of the society’s identity, and the same is reflected in Islamic teachings. This firmly rooted concept can easily lend itself to social entrepreneurship in a variety of ways especially when you add to the equation the poor infrastructure and the government’s slow response to social issues. For example, during my employment in Saudi Arabia, I was given a tour of a healthcare subsidiary of the company I worked for. The subsidiary made surgical masks and gowns for hospitals and thus required a large number of laborers. Instead of hiring those who could work the longest hours or foreigners, the company focused on employing widowed or orphaned women who did not have high degrees, but were great at working with their hands. The fascinating thing was that the company saw these women quickly rise through the ranks and become shift supervisors and general managers. The company did not see itself as a social entrepreneurial enterprise, but that is in fact what it was. I think we will continue to see more and more of this in the Middle East and Latin America where social networking has exploded recently and where governments are not always the best vehicles to bring about improvements.

Lojain on February 9, 2017 at 9:41 pm said:

Very interesting article indeed. I relate to many of the ideas reflected in the article, being from the Middle East myself, and particularly with its thesis that social entrepreneurship has really been in existence there as a way of life but not as an academic concept. I think a lot of it has to do with the shortcomings of the government coupled with the social fabric of society. In most Arabic societies hospitality makes up a great deal of the society’s identity, and the same is reflected in Islamic teachings. This firmly rooted concept can easily lend itself to social entrepreneurship in a variety of ways especially when you add to the equation the poor infrastructure and the government’s slow response to social issues. For example, during my employment in Saudi Arabia, I was given a tour of a healthcare subsidiary of the company I worked for. The subsidiary made surgical masks and gowns for hospitals and thus required a large number of laborers. Instead of hiring those who could work the longest hours or foreigners, the company focused on employing widowed or orphaned women who did not have high degrees, but were great at working with their hands. The fascinating thing was that the company saw these women quickly rise through the ranks and become shift supervisors and general managers. The company did not see itself as a social entrepreneurial enterprise, but that is in fact what it was. I think we will continue to see more and more of this in the Middle East and Latin America where social networking has exploded recently and where governments are not always the best vehicles to bring about improvements.