Institutions and social entrepreneurship: a hierarchy of institutions to revisit institutional voids, support, and configurations

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Stephan, Ute; Uhlaner, Lorraine M.; Stride, Christopher
• 署名单位: University of London; King's College London; Eastern Michigan University; University of Sheffield
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2506
• DOI: 10.1057/s41267-025-00829-4
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: INTERNATIONAL-BUSINESS; Informal institutions; NATIONAL CULTURE; performance; CONSEQUENCES; capitalism; VARIETIES; need; determinants; microfinance

摘要

In this retrospective, we expand on theorizing about institutions and social entrepreneurship (SE) as presented in our Decade Award-winning 2015 article. Our 2015 paper developed the institutional configuration perspective, which considers joint and interaction effects of formal and informal institutions. It organized disagreement about how formal institutions shape SE, contrasting the institutional voids and institutional support perspectives. In this retrospective, we introduce a revised hierarchy of institutions as a 'middle-ground' approach to advance research on institutions in international business and entrepreneurship. This hierarchy integrates insights from different disciplines (institutional economics, sociology, political science, and cultural theory). It explicates the macro-level economic and microfoundational psychological effects of four layers of formal (government activism and constitutional institutions/rule of law) and informal institutions (cultural values and norms). The hierarchy progresses research on institutional voids by distinguishing four types of formal and informal institutional voids. It advances research on institutional configurations by highlighting new synergistic and compensatory configurations. It also offers new insights into institutional change. Finally, we advance research on institutions and SE by theorizing a new institutional paradox for SE that reconciles the institutional void versus support debate and by charting opportunities for how institutions shape the SE process from entry to exit. The article explores the role of institutions in social entrepreneurship (SE) and international business (IB). It builds on a 2015 study that examined how different types of institutions influence SE across countries and which won the 2025 JIBS Decade Award. The 2015 study found that supportive formal and informal institutions are crucial for SE, challenging the idea that SE thrives in the absence of institutions. The current article aims to advance the understanding of institutions by proposing a revised framework that includes both formal and informal institutions, offering a more nuanced view of how they interact and impact entrepreneurship and IB actors.This article presents a revised hierarchy of institutions, dividing them into four layers: two formal (government activism and constitutional institutions) and two informal (cognitive and normative institutions). Government activism refers to the government's role in providing public goods and addressing social issues, while constitutional institutions involve the rule of law and property rights. Cognitive institutions relate to cultural values, and normative institutions involve cultural norms. The article discusses the economic and psychological effects through which these institutions affect entrepreneurship and IB actors. It emphasizes the importance of considering both formal and informal institutions together ('in configuration'), as they jointly shape entrepreneurial and IB behavior. Based on the hierarchy of institutions, the article also elaborates different types of institutional voids, which are gaps in institutions that can hinder entrepreneurship and IB. It also discusses the rate and drivers of institutional change in the four layers of institutions. The article outlines avenues to progress research on SE and institutions. It considers how institutions may shape the dark and bright sides of SE along the social entrepreneurial process from start-up, organizing, performing, scaling impact, to exit and failure across contexts. It highlights the paradoxical nature of institutions for SE whereby initial interest in SE might be triggered by voids in institutions but running a social enterprise benefits from supportive institutional environments, where both formal and informal institutions provide resources and legitimacy. The article discusses implications for policy and practice and outlines why and when institutions help to create more inclusive and supportive environments for entrepreneurship and IB where all talent can contribute productively to the economy. This text was initially drafted using artificial intelligence, then reviewed by the author(s) to ensure accuracy. Dans cette r & eacute;trospective, nous approfondissons la th & eacute;orisation des institutions et de l'entrepreneuriat social (ES) telle que pr & eacute;sent & eacute;e dans notre article laur & eacute;at du prix JIBS Decade Award en 2015. Ce dernier a d & eacute;velopp & eacute; la perspective de la configuration institutionnelle, qui prend en compte les impacts interactifs et conjoints des institutions formelles et informelles. Il a structur & eacute; les d & eacute;saccords sur la mani & egrave;re dont les institutions formelles fa & ccedil;onnent l'ES, en opposant les perspectives des << vides institutionnels >> et du << soutien institutionnel >>. Dans cette r & eacute;trospective, nous introduisons une hi & eacute;rarchie r & eacute;vis & eacute;e des institutions comme une approche << interm & eacute;diaire >> pour faire progresser la recherche sur les institutions dans le domaine des affaires internationales et de l'entrepreneuriat. Cette hi & eacute;rarchie int & egrave;gre des perspectives issues de diff & eacute;rentes disciplines (& eacute;conomie institutionnelle, sociologie, science politique et th & eacute;orie culturelle). Elle explique les impacts & eacute;conomiques au niveau macro ainsi que les effets psychologiques micro fondamentaux de quatre niveaux d'institutions formelles (activisme gouvernemental et institutions constitutionnelles/& eacute;tat de droit) et informelles (valeurs et normes culturelles). La hi & eacute;rarchie fait progresser la recherche sur les vides institutionnels en distinguant quatre types de vides institutionnels formels et informels. Elle fait & eacute;galement avancer la recherche sur les configurations institutionnelles en mettant en lumi & egrave;re de nouvelles configurations synergiques et compensatoires. Elle offre par ailleurs de nouvelles perspectives sur le changement institutionnel. Enfin, nous faisons progresser la recherche sur les institutions et l'ES en th & eacute;orisant un nouveau paradoxe institutionnel pour l'ES, qui r & eacute;concilie le d & eacute;bat entre vide institutionnel et soutien institutionnel, et en tra & ccedil;ant des opportunit & eacute;s sur la mani & egrave;re dont les institutions fa & ccedil;onnent le processus d'ES, de l'entr & eacute;e & agrave; la sortie. En esta retrospectiva, ampliamos la teorizaci & oacute;n sobre las instituciones y el emprendimiento social tal como se present & oacute; en nuestro art & iacute;culo premiado de 2015. Nuestro art & iacute;culo de 2015 desarroll & oacute; la perspectiva de configuraci & oacute;n institucional, que considera los efectos conjuntos y de interacci & oacute;n de las instituciones formales e informales. Organiz & oacute; el debate sobre c & oacute;mo las instituciones formales configuran el emprendimiento social, contrastando las perspectivas de vac & iacute;os institucionales y apoyo institucional. En esta retrospectiva, introducimos una jerarqu & iacute;a revisada de instituciones como un enfoque de t & eacute;rmino medio para hacer avanzar la investigaci & oacute;n sobre instituciones en los negocios internacionales y el emprendimiento. Esta jerarqu & iacute;a integra ideas de diferentes disciplinas (econom & iacute;a institucional, sociolog & iacute;a, ciencia pol & iacute;tica y teor & iacute;a cultural). Explicita los efectos econ & oacute;micos a nivel macro y los microfundamentos psicol & oacute;gicos de cuatro capas de instituciones formales (activismo gubernamental e instituciones constitucionales*/*estado de derecho) e informales (valores culturales y normas). La jerarqu & iacute;a hace avanzar la investigaci & oacute;n sobre los vac & iacute;os institucionales al distinguir cuatro tipos de vac & iacute;os institucionales formales e informales. Hace avanzar la investigaci & oacute;n sobre configuraciones institucionales al resaltar nuevas configuraciones sin & eacute;rgicas y compensatorias. Tambi & eacute;n ofrece nuevas perspectivas sobre el cambio institucional. Finalmente, hacemos avanzar la investigaci & oacute;n sobre instituciones y emprendimiento social al teorizar una nueva paradoja institucional para el emprendimiento social que reconcilia el debate entre vac & iacute;os institucionales y apoyo institucional, y al delinear oportunidades de investigaci & oacute;n sobre c & oacute;mo las instituciones configuran el proceso del emprendimiento social desde la entrada hasta la salida. Nesta retrospectiva, expandimos a teoriza & ccedil;& atilde;o sobre institui & ccedil;& otilde;es e empreendedorismo social (SE) apresentada em nosso artigo de 2015, vencedor do Decade Award. Nosso artigo de 2015 desenvolveu a perspectiva de configura & ccedil;& atilde;o institucional, que considera efeitos conjuntos e de intera & ccedil;& atilde;o entre institui & ccedil;& otilde;es formais e informais. Ele organizou os debates sobre como institui & ccedil;& otilde;es formais moldam o SE, contrastando as perspectivas de vazios institucionais e apoio institucional. Nesta retrospectiva, introduzimos uma revisada hierarquia de institui & ccedil;& otilde;es como uma abordagem de meio-termo para avan & ccedil;ar a pesquisa sobre institui & ccedil;& otilde;es em neg & oacute;cios internacionais e empreendedorismo. Essa hierarquia integra insights de diferentes disciplinas (economia institucional, sociologia, ci & ecirc;ncia pol & iacute;tica e teoria cultural). Ela explicita os efeitos econ & ocirc;micos em n & iacute;vel macro e os efeitos psicol & oacute;gicos microfundamentais de quatro camadas de institui & ccedil;& otilde;es formais (ativismo governamental e institui & ccedil;& otilde;es constitucionais/estado de direito) e informais (valores culturais e normas). A hierarquia avan & ccedil;a a pesquisa sobre vazios institucionais ao distinguir quatro tipos de vazios institucionais formais e informais. Ela promove a pesquisa sobre configura & ccedil;& otilde;es institucionais ao destacar novas configura & ccedil;& otilde;es sin & eacute;rgicas e compensat & oacute;rias. Ela tamb & eacute;m oferece novos insights sobre mudan & ccedil;as institucionais. Por fim, avan & ccedil;amos a pesquisa sobre institui & ccedil;& otilde;es e SE ao teorizar um novo paradoxo institucional para SE, que reconcilia o debate entre vazio institucional e apoio institucional, e ao tra & ccedil;ar oportunidades sobre como institui & ccedil;& otilde;es moldam o processo de SE, desde a entrada at & eacute; a sa & iacute;da. 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