Social entrepreneurship in Argentina: the role of mission-driven organizations on the pathway to inclusive growth

MUCARSEL, LEILA; BHAT, MEERA; RAMOS,BLANCA

Social and Economic Development in Transition Economies

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Año: 2020;

There is a growing awareness of the complexity of reducing inequalities, and the need for growth that is not only smart (innovation-led), but also inclusive and green (Mazzucato,2015). In facing this challenge, government and other institutions are acknowledging that sustainable and inclusive development can only be achieved in a holistic and comprehensive fashion, through partnerships among an array of development actors (World Bank,2017). In this article, we explain why social entrepreneurship organizations can play a key role on the search for inclusive growth and sustainable development. Not by replacing the leading role that governments need to play in the development path, but instead by: 1) Enhancing the public sector?s capacities to reach and engage the poor, vulnerable and marginalized communities. 2) Piloting social innovations and streamlining innovative methodologies within the development sector and, 3) Participating in the definition of policy-directions and government priorities through advocacy efforts. In this chapter, we begging by offering an overview of Argentina, with data on the key economic and social indicators. We then present a review of the debates on development, social entrepreneurship and social enterprises in the country, in the broader context of South America. As the core of our analysis, we will then answer the questions: What are the key contributions that Argentina?s Social Entrepreneurship Civil Society Organizations are bringing to the development agenda? How these organizations are contributing to social innovation? and, What are the main challenges of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Argentina today? Finally, we share some lessons from the Argentina experience.