The Social Enterprise Zoo: Defining the Universe of Social Enterprise Through Competing Metaphors

After more than a decade of research in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere, there is continued debate on the definitions of social enterprise, specifically in classifying populations. Several schools of thought contest the territory. The EMES network in Europe argues that there is an ideal type of social enterprise to which all social enterprise ventures should aspire. Another approach emphasizes the spectrum and trade-off between pure profit-making...