Social Entrepreneurship in Times of Precarity and the Neoliberal State: The Catalan Case Under Anthropological Scrutiny

Abstract

As in many other developed countries, social entrepreneurship in Catalonia (Spain) is booming. It represents an alternative, revolutionary way of doing business that intends to make economic and social aims compatible – thus, profit is not the only goal. As such, it is a desirable and advantageous option for (neoliberal) states, since it targets and solves both social and environmental problems and contributes to job creation and tax revenues, while at the same time enriching and diversifying the local economic fabric. During the last two financial crises (2008 and post-pandemic), this line of business has attracted an increasing number of post-materialist entrepreneurs in Catalonia, i.e., those whose objectives, beyond earning an income, focus on self-realization, social transformation, and ecological impact reduction. These initiatives have proved to be initially resilient to the economic crisis. Over time, however, many social enterprises are being pushed by the logic of the market and forced to reconvert themselves into commercial companies to survive, so that social or environmental objectives take a back seat. Based on far-reaching empirical research, this paper describes the emergence of this form of entrepreneurship and its principal traits, raising some critical issues.