The Role of Social Enterprises in Human Development: How can Social Enterprises Contribute to Developing Human Capabilities Studied in the Case Study of Échale a tu casa

Abstract

This master’s thesis investigates how social enterprises contribute to developing human capabilities studied in the Mexican social housing company Échale a tu casa. The findings indicate that the social enterprises support developments through an in-depth understanding of the social problem and the approach to solving it. By being proximate to the beneficiary, social enterprises understand the individual limitations of the beneficiaries that need to be overcome to develop human capabilities. Weaver’s (2020) Social Capability Intervention Model has been critically reflected based on the case findings and expanded towards the inclusion of the conversion factors, defining to which degree individuals can translate resources into human capabilities. The findings indicate that proximity to the complex social problem by understanding the individuals' conversion factors facilitates the solution based on the investigation of the problem. Finally, Social Entrepreneurship literature has been critically discussed, and its definition has been sharpened based on expert interviews and case study findings. The research contributes to perceiving development from a novel perspective that can be further explored from a scholarly and professional perspective.