RESPONSIBLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP VISION DEVELOPMENT AND ETHICS

Sustaining social and rural entrepreneurship
towards hybrids
Mauro ROMANELLI
University of Naples Parthenope, Italy
mauro.romanelli@uniparthenope.it
Abstract: Social entrepreneurs focus on creation of social value because of the existence of residual
values taking non financial forms and possibility of investments for support to economic growth and social
progress. Social enterprises tend to behave as hybrid organizations that tend to combine different and multiple
logics. Rurality as dynamic concept and multi-faceted process helps define a specific territorially and
entrepreneurial milieu shaping the entrepreneurial process as autonomous source for driving development.
Multi-functionality in agriculture and rural development as new emerging paradigms seem to drive rural
entrepreneurial organizations to behave as hybrids managing multiple logics of doing business jointly with
creating social value within territories and for communities. European rural development policies should contribute
to support farm sector and rural areas sustaining the competitiveness of agriculture, ensuring the sustainable
management of natural resources, the climate action and the balanced territorial development of rural
areas and programs oriented to assign to agriculture a strategic and social role to preserve and protect landscapes,
environment, natural asset and biodiversity by opening up new spaces and opportunities for driving
entrepreneurship bridging rural and social aspects and components leading to hybrid organizations managing
different logics and working for creation of social and economic value for society and communities.
Keywords: social and rural entrepreneurship, rural development policies, hybrid organizations
Introduction
The aim of this study is to elucidate that multi-functionality and rural development as new
emerging paradigms are leading the entrepreneurship in agriculture to actively contribute for
cultural and social development of society by sustaining and bridging social and rural aspects.
The study relies on archival and qualitative data drawn by review of literature on social
entrepreneurship, on the role of rural economies and entrepreneurship for sustaining economic
growth and development of communities and territories. Rurality as an entrepreneurial milieu
tends to shape the entrepreneurial process (Stathopoulou, Psaltopoulos & Skuras, 2004).
In the last decade, the European institutions tend to design and implement public policies
concerning social and economic development of rural areas and economy in the attempt to