The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UN MDGs) are the only global political framework for international development collaboration. They include eight concrete goals, addressing various dimensions of development issues, to be achieved by 2015. The goals form the most important concept in achieving global sustainable development. MDG seven is directed at environmental sustainability, which is considered to be fundamental to achieve the other goals. The goals are very ambitious and the realisation of the single MDG targets is lacking. They can only be realised in a combined attack on all dimensions of development, in collaboration of stakeholders from all sectors and levels.
Social entrepreneurs are actors that address social problems at their roots and invent creative, entrepreneurial and sustainable methods to catalyse social change. They provide the tools that are required to tackle the world’s ills.
This thesis develops a conceptual theoretical framework on the still fragmented field of social entrepreneurship, on the UN MDGs and environmental sustainability. Based on this framework, a comparative qualitative case study is carried out. It analyses three successful social enterprises and evaluates their contribution to the achievement of the MDGs with regard to the goal of environmental sustainability. The social enterprises are contrasted with a business case to accentuate their differences respectively similarities and compares their impact on the millennium goals. The study confirms the value of the impact of social entrepreneurs for sustainable development and their potential to contributing on a large scale to the realisation of the UN MDGs.
Table of Contents
1. Outline and Scope of the Thesis
1.1. Introduction to the Topic
1.2. Relevance of the Research and Objectives
1.3. A Roadmap for the Thesis
Part I: Conceptual Framework
2. United Nations Millennium Development Goals
2.1. History and Development
2.2. Actors and Processes
2.3. Status quo and Perspectives
3. Social Entrepreneurship
3.1. History
3.2. Social Entrepreneur – the Actor
3.2.1. Interpreting the Term ‘Social Entrepreneur’
3.2.2. Defining ‘Social Entrepreneur’
3.2.3. Characteristics and Skills
3.2.4. Differentiation from Business Entrepreneurs and Other Actors
3.3. Social Entrepreneurship – the Process
3.4. Social Enterprise – the Outcome
3.5. Challenges for Social Entrepreneurs
4. Environmental Sustainability
4.1. Defining ‘Sustainability’
4.2. Development of the Sustainability Paradigm
4.3. Status quo of Sustainable Development
4.4. The Path to Environmental Sustainability
4.5. MDG 7 – Ensure Environmental Sustainability
4.5.1. Water and Sanitation
4.5.2. Status quo
4.5.3. Recommendations
Interim Conclusion Part I
Part II: Empirical Case Studies
5. Methodology
5.1. Research Design
5.2. Case Selection
5.3. Data Collection
5.4. Data Analysis
6. Case Studies
6.1. Gram Vikas
6.2. World Toilet Organization
6.3. DMT Mobile Toilets
6.4. Unilever
Part III: Analysis
7. Comparative Analysis
7.1. Mission and Motivation
7.2. Enterprise Model
7.3. Overall Impact
7.4. Replicability
7.5. Contribution to the Achievement of the UN MDGs
8. Conclusion
8.1. Main Findings
8.2. Limitations and Recommendations
8.3. Lessons Learned
Objectives and Research Themes
The primary objective of this thesis is to analyze the role and impact of social entrepreneurs in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), specifically focusing on their contributions to environmental sustainability and target 10 regarding water and sanitation. The central research question explores how social entrepreneurs contribute to these goals and which specific factors determine their success and impacts in comparison to traditional business models.
- Theoretical conceptualization of social entrepreneurship, the UN MDGs, and environmental sustainability.
- Comparative qualitative analysis of three successful social enterprises (Gram Vikas, World Toilet Organization, DMT Mobile Toilets).
- Assessment of the contribution of these social enterprises to the achievement of the MDGs.
- Contrast between social enterprise models and the business case of Unilever.
- Identification of patterns for successful problem-solving and scalability of social initiatives.
Extract from the Book
1.1. Introduction to the Topic
The global society is confronted with a number of severe problems: deep poverty, striking inequality among countries, almost epidemic spread of diseases like AIDS and Malaria (Annan, 2000, p. 5), environmental degradation, resource scarcities and climate change (Wilkinson & Hill, 2001, p. 1493), just to name a few. These problems are interlinked, aggravating each other mutually and resulting in even more problems like migration, political unrest and conflict. The causes of these problems are as broad as the problems themselves ranging from unsustainable population growth and hence exploitation of resources over problems of governance to unsustainable patterns of consumption. (Perrings & Ansuategi, 2000, p. 23)
In the last years, nature showed clearly its response to these patterns of humans’ life on Earth. Already too late, the most important international players finally recognised the scientific evidence that explains that humanity is causing these problems. Furthermore, steps to solve them urgently have to be taken on a broad scale to retrieve a way to a sustainable future.
All United Nations (UN) member countries agreed on the need and partly on instruments for action to sustainable development during a multitude of conferences and through a variety of agreements. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UN MDGs), formally established in 2000 and agreed on by all member states (UN GA, 2000, September 18, p.1), include the most important results from many conferences and even more preparatory work. They form the only global political framework for international development collaboration that comprehensively includes concrete, measurable goals for the most important dimensions of today’s global problems to be achieved by the year 2015 (Cleeve & Ndhlovu, 2004, p. 9). Environmental sustainability is one of these main issues. Even though it is only one goal out of eight, achieving it might represent the most important progress that is tightly interlinked with the other goals (Biaou, 2005, p. 135).
Summary of Chapters
1. Outline and Scope of the Thesis: Defines the research objectives, the relevance of studying social entrepreneurship within the context of UN MDGs, and outlines the structure of the work.
2. United Nations Millennium Development Goals: Provides an overview of the history, development, actors involved, and the current status of the Millennium Development Goals.
3. Social Entrepreneurship: Explores the conceptual background, historical development, definitions, characteristics, and challenges associated with social entrepreneurship.
4. Environmental Sustainability: Analyzes the sustainability paradigm, its development, the path toward environmental sustainability, and specifically targets within MDG 7, including water and sanitation.
5. Methodology: Details the research design, criteria for case selection (Gram Vikas, World Toilet Organization, DMT Mobile Toilets, Unilever), data collection methods, and analysis framework.
6. Case Studies: Presents detailed descriptions of the selected social enterprises and the business case, covering their origins, missions, operational models, and impacts.
7. Comparative Analysis: Aggregates and compares the four case studies regarding their mission, model, impact, and potential for replication, and evaluates their contribution to the UN MDGs.
8. Conclusion: Summarizes main findings, discusses limitations, provides recommendations, and reflects on lessons learned from the research process.
Keywords
Social Entrepreneurship, Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, Environmental Sustainability, Water and Sanitation, Gram Vikas, World Toilet Organization, DMT Mobile Toilets, Unilever, Social Change, Capacity Building, Sustainability Paradigm, Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, Sustainable Development.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The thesis examines the role of social entrepreneurs as agents for environmental sustainability and their contribution to the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The work centers on three main subjects: the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, the conceptual framework of social entrepreneurship, and the necessity of environmental sustainability.
What is the research objective?
The study aims to describe and compare cases of social entrepreneurs to elaborate patterns of their approaches that can be generalized and transferred to contribute effectively to the realization of the UN MDGs.
Which scientific methods are used?
The research employs a qualitative multiple case study approach, utilizing an intensive and longitudinal research design to compare three social enterprises and one business case.
What does the main body consist of?
The main body comprises a theoretical framework defining the core concepts, followed by an empirical section that presents detailed case studies and a comparative analysis based on a set of defined criteria.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Social Entrepreneurship, Millennium Development Goals, Environmental Sustainability, Water and Sanitation, and Social Innovation.
How does the work distinguish between social and business entrepreneurs?
The work identifies that while both share similar operational approaches, their fundamental distinction lies in their core mission: business entrepreneurs prioritize profit generation, whereas social entrepreneurs prioritize the solution of social problems and the creation of social value.
What is the significance of the Gram Vikas case in this study?
Gram Vikas is highlighted as an example of a holistic approach to rural development in India that utilizes water and sanitation as an anchor for social inclusion, gender equity, and capacity building.
What role does the World Toilet Organization play in the analysis?
The World Toilet Organization is analyzed as a global network and platform that acts as a catalyst for sanitation policy, focusing on breaking taboos and building capacity through the World Toilet College.
- Citar trabajo
- Alexandra Lau (Autor), 2007, Social Entrepreneurs as Agents for Environmental Sustainability, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/121369
