Social Entrepreneurship: A Review of the Literature Based on Geographical and Thematic Criteria

Social entrepreneurship has recently gained popularity among academics and governments. This increased interest is partly attributable to social entrepreneurship's creative approach to meeting a clear public need. The traditional distinctions between the private and public sectors are blurred due to this entrepreneurial activity, which also benefits hybrid company models. The theoretical and practical foundations of the social entrepreneurship field are outlined in this essay's first section. Then, we present a review of the European and American literature on social entrepreneurship. The literature on social entrepreneurship in Europe and America is then reviewed. To systematize our results, we use two classification criteria: one is geographical and the other is theoretical. Finally, we examine and discuss each school of thought's viewpoint in relation to the three major issues raised in the literature on entrepreneurship: the individual, the process, and the organization.