Managers’ perceptions of partnerships between social enterprises and the public sector in Brazil

Abstract

Social enterprises adopt hybrid organizational models and offer new possibilities for cross-sector collaborationbetween business and philanthropic sectors. However, there is a lack of research on partnerships involving socialenterprises. This study examined the benefits and challenges of cross-sector partnerships between social enterprises and public sector organizations in Brazil. In-depth interviews with six managers of three partnerships revealed that social enterprises and public sector managers perceived “visibility” as a key benefit of the partnerships. However, both groups identified “budget constraints,” “differences in work logic and pace,” “lack of project continuity,”and “complex approval processes” as significant challenges. These findings suggest that many of the benefits and challenges previously identified in partnerships between traditional sector organizations also apply to cross-sector partnerships involving social enterprises. The study contributes to understanding the potential of these cross-sector partnerships and highlights the need for further research in this area.

Conceptualising a chameleon: social enterprise as a public provider

“…A key issue concerns how the ambiguous nature of social enterprise complicates governance when it comes to social enterprise actors competing for public contracts. The recent papers by Hall and Alexander (2023) and Mathias and Fischer (2023) are examples of empirical studies providing evidence of the challenges experienced by social enterprise actors when competing for funding and contracts, primarily due to their hybrid nature. Among the most cited papers in this cluster, Eikenberry and Kluver (2004) point to earlier works (Alexander, 1999) who report on the challenges for social enterprise actors in adapting their approach to performance-based contracts, rather than obtaining funding in the form or grants or direct support.…”