Scaling to system change: how social entrepreneurs affect public policy

Abstract

Although social entrepreneurs have been helping the improvement of policies for decades now, their role and contribution are still largely undocumented in research and not recognized by the policy community and wider public. This leads to social entrepreneurs still being unknown and rarely invited to the policy conversation table. Simultaneously, it deprives the policy process of deeper insights about the problem essence and evidence, a profound understanding of the needs of the affected communities, and ways of addressing the problem that have been refined and tested by the social entrepreneurs and their teams in order to reduce the risks of implementation. It represents a missed opportunity for addressing social issues collaboratively in a faster, more efficient, and effective manner. 

This article aims to share examples of how social entrepreneurs have managed to achieve systemic improvements through policy changes at local, national, and international levels. The article also posits that larger ecosystem measures are needed to enable the effective harvesting and use of social entrepreneurs’ experience for system change. This includes building bridges between policymakers and social entrepreneurs and transforming the way in which policy is designed and implemented.