A Conceptual Model of Social Entrepreneurial Motivation

This paper contributes to the theory of social entrepreneurship (SE) by analysing five generic motivations (extrinsic, intrinsic and complex motivations; employment status; and start-up capital) that credibly influence individuals’ intention to engage in SE. This research uses an exploratory and inductive methodology in analysing the literature across four schools of thought based on the research conceptual model and developed six research propositions for further empirical testing. As a major contribution, this paper suggests for the first time that ‘complex motivation’ may have a significant role in social venturing.JEL Codes - A14; E02; E03; E61; M14; O3