Examining Social Workers’ Performance of Social Entrepreneurship – A Systematic Review

Social enterprise has been an under-examined topic in social work, which is committed to helping victims of social problems by addressing clients’ material and emotional needs. The presence of social enterprises creates opportunities to transform the demerits of disadvantaged groups into strengths and to attract funding sources to compensate for the current funding-cut trend. Nevertheless, the roles of social workers in performing social entrepreneurship (SE) remain under-examined. A systematic review is undertaken to fill this knowledge gap through reviewing n = 28 peer-reviewed studies from social science databases. The result summarizes a 17-item list of SW expected roles. In addition, a 14-item list and a 16-item list of challenges and strategies were identified. The research findings show that SWs are resurging community logics into the marketization process, alongside optimism and democratic culture. Finally, we urge more research that incorporates the voices of SWs, data triangulation, and perspectives from non-English-speaking nations.