Constraints and Facilitators of Social Entrepreneurship Development in Mountainous Areas: The Case of Pyli in Greece

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship (SE) has been lately established as a potential strategy for the development of disadvantaged areas. However, in spite the fact that SE seems to be well suited to the crisis framework, especially the one in Greece nowadays. It is highly questionable if and how it can be implemented in rural mountainous areas where there is usually a low level of awareness and a number of weaknesses due to remoteness from the central governmental authorities. The present research purports to explore certain macrolevel and contextual factors that stimulate or impede SE development and sustenance in the municipality of Pyli, a mountainous area in Central Greece. It builds on a well-structured questionnaire using 1-5 Likert scale for the majority of the questions. The data were recorded, processed, and analyzed via the statistical package SPSSWIN version 20.0 and the appropriate tests needed. Such areas are quite common in Europe and constitute the most vulnerable entrepreneurial environments, especially in times of recession. Results confirm the view that average people are not aware of the benefits of SE and indicate that women are more likely to be attracted. The role of local and central governmental authorities seems to be of core importance while education and training appear to be needed in order to stimulate and sustain SE. The study contributes mainly empirically to SE literature while it may add to the relevant theory regarding facilitators and constraints within the environmental context.

Keywords: Social Entrepreneurship; Social Entrepreneur; Mountainous Rural Areas; Constraints; Facilitators; Environmental Context; AITHIKOS Project; Greece

Australian Academy of Accounting and Finance Review, vol 2, issue 4, October 2016, page 310-322