The Resilience of Ashoka Fellows During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Keywords:
social impact, social entrepreneurship, partnerships, Ashoka, COVID-19 pandemic, replication, mindset shiftAbstract
COVID-19’s effect on the work of social entrepreneurs is still unfolding. Current research has observed how social enterprises were involved in immediate responses to the crisis and were affected operationally. Many questions remain regarding the role of social entrepreneurs in generating change in a post-pandemic world.
This research article investigates how several dimensions attached to Ashoka's ‘Everyone a Changemaker’ vision played a role in the resilience of Ashoka Fellows during the pandemic. We found that the replication of their solutions and high partnership and collaboration levels positively impacted the intention of innovation Ashoka Fellows have moving forward. Partnerships also mitigated the negative impact of the pandemic on Fellows' operations and their capacity to continue their activities. On the other hand, the focus on mindset shift as the main impact goal also meant a higher chance of reduction in funding for social entrepreneurs during the pandemic.
These results emphasize the importance of strong connections and partnerships with other stakeholders for the motivation and opportunity to continue developing new ideas for social change. Whether as replication partners, peer social entrepreneurs, or partners in other roles, we must continue supporting the exchange between social entrepreneurs and a variety of stakeholders. Large numbers of partners can offer stability and provide security for social entrepreneurs in times of crisis. More importantly, however, the support ecosystem for social entrepreneurs – especially funders – needs to be made more aware of the different levels of impact social entrepreneurs aim to achieve in order to be more supportive of them in complex contexts. Although direct service responses are immensely valuable, the mindset shift work done by social entrepreneurs contributes to deeper change in the long term and needs to be supported accordingly.
This research article contributes to our evolving understanding of how social entrepreneurs navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. As the situation evolves, we will be able to identify more elements that contribute to their resilience, factors that foster their creativity, and drive to continue addressing social issues effectively.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Alexandra Ioan, Veronica Chiodo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The Social Innovations Journal permits the Creative Commons License:
CC Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
Under the following terms:
-
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
-
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
-
NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
- You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
- No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material
Copyright and Publishing Rights
For the licenses indicated above, authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights without restrictions.