A critical analysis of social enterprise

In the academic canon, social enterprise is broadly viewed as a positive phenomenon. This chapter takes a critical perspective to counter the overly positive portrayal of social enterprise. Based on a typology of critical approaches developed by Dey and Steyaert (2012), the chapter takes the reader on a tour d’horizon of critical approaches to the study of social enterprise. The chapter highlights different ways in which critique can be practiced and ends by emphasizing the importance of critical work having real world significance.