This project aims to investigate and develop a holistic, culturally informed ecosystem for nurturing and fostering social entrepreneurship in Jordan.
Social entrepreneurship exhibits remarkable potential in Jordan.
It serves as an innovative instrument for cultivating human and social capital within communities, offering a promising solution to combat high unemployment rates and address common societal challenges.
The project objectives
- to identify key success factors for Jordanian social enterprises and develop strategies for enhancing their societal and economic impact
- to analyse how Jordan's cultural and societal contexts influence social enterprises and develop strategies for cultural responsiveness
- to examine existing Jordanian policy frameworks and produce recommendations for creating a conducive environment for the facilitation of social enterprise efficacy and growth
Planned activities
Mapping social enterprises and stakeholders: Identify and map social enterprises and stakeholders, including social enterprise support organisations (SESOs), policymakers, and community leaders in Jordan.
Assessing needs and challenges: Conduct thorough needs assessment; identify challenges and opportunities in the sector; understand how cultural and societal contexts in Jordan influence social enterprises.
Building capacity: Workshops across three cities (Amman, Irbid, Karak) to build social enterprises and SESO (social enterprise support organisation) capacity; deliver growth strategies and impact maximisation while ensuring cultural sensitivity and responsiveness and addressing local needs and challenges.
Creating a community through a platform: Develop a dedicated website and platform, which will function as the central hub for resources, networking, and knowledge-sharing.
Influencing policy: Engage with policymakers; advocate for supportive policy frameworks; present research findings, case studies, and recommendations.
Strategic collaborator: Catalyst 2030 is a social entrepreneur and innovator-led movement responding to a global call to action for people and the planet.
Research impact
The research project aims to bring significant changes across several key areas.
We aim to address the needs and ambitions of social enterprises, enhancing their knowledge and capacity.
Our research will also provide a strong foundation for social entrepreneurship support organisations (SESOs), offering valuable insights that enable them to better assist social enterprises.
Additionally, our research aims to influence policymakers by identifying areas where reforms are necessary, fostering a more supportive ecosystem for social enterprises and leading to more favourable regulatory conditions.
Our partners
Meet the Principal Investigator(s) for the project
Dr Farah Al-Taji - I am a researcher and educator in the field of (social) entrepreneurship. My overall research interest is in social entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship education, hybrid organizations, and human capital. Further research interest is in understanding the intersectionality of gender, refugees, and (social) entrepreneurship, and their impact on sustainable development. In 2019, I completed my PhD in management from Politecnico di Milano in Italy. From 2019-2020, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher on a research project funded by the British Academy and based at the University of Birmingham in collaboration with Al-Balqa Applied University in Jordan. During my postdoc, I have undertaken an impactful research in Jordan which allowed me to expand on my knowledge and research experience in specific societal challenges such as forced migration and gender inequality. It also exposed me to novel research methodologies such as Virtual Reality and Art. I have an extensive experience in Jordan, the UAE and Italy of teaching specialist and executive social innovation and (social) entrepreneurship courses that have included a focus on societal and sustainable challenges.
Related Research Group(s)
Entrepreneurship and Sustainability - Our focus is on how individuals, businesses and societies can tap into creative and entrepreneurial flair to develop innovative solutions, in order to not only create economic value, but also solve social and environmental problems.
Partnering with confidence
Organisations interested in our research can partner with us with confidence backed by an external and independent benchmark: The Knowledge Exchange Framework. Read more.
Project last modified 11/07/2024