Social Enterprise Journal

Social Enterprise Journal
Title	Social Enterprise Journal
Discipline	Social enterprise studies
Abbreviation	SEJ
Publisher	Emerald Group Publishing
Frequency	Quarterly
History	2005–present
Issn	1750-8614
Eissn	1750-8622

Social Enterprise Journal is a peer-reviewed academic periodical focused on the study and practice of social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, nonprofit organizations, corporate social responsibility, and hybrid organizational forms. Launched in the mid-2000s, the journal situates empirical research, theoretical analysis, and practitioner reflection within debates shaped by actors such as the Skoll Foundation, Ashoka, Schwab Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It engages scholars from institutions including the University of Cambridge, Harvard University, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, and Bocconi University.

History

The journal emerged amid early 21st-century scholarly and policy interest in social innovation driven by networks like Impact Hub, Ashoka Fellows, Skoll World Forum, and Schwab Foundation gatherings, responding to practice developments associated with Grameen Bank, BRAC, and the Clinton Global Initiative. Founding editors drew on traditions in organizational studies exemplified by the work of scholars at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Manchester, and University of Edinburgh, and on practitioner literature from Harvard Business School, Yale School of Management, and INSEAD. Over time, the periodical has intersected with debates connected to the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, European Commission, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the International Labour Organization. Special issues have responded to policy initiatives like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the UK Charities Act, European Social Fund reforms, and philanthropic strategies at the Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation.

Scope and Aims

The journal's remit includes analysis of enterprise models associated with microfinance pioneers such as Muhammad Yunus and institutions like Grameen, cooperative movements exemplified by Mondragon Corporation, and hybrid legal forms such as community interest companies in the UK, B Corporations in the United States, and social cooperatives in Italy. It addresses governance issues debated in forums like the Aspen Institute, Brookings Institution, and Carnegie Endowment, and examines measurement frameworks influenced by Social Return on Investment, Global Reporting Initiative, B Lab, and the Impact Management Project. Interdisciplinary perspectives draw on work from Columbia Business School, Kellogg School of Management, University of Pennsylvania, King's College London, and University of Toronto.

Editorial Structure and Peer Review

Editorial leadership has included editors affiliated with institutions such as the University of Surrey, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Portsmouth, and Durham University, supported by an international editorial board with members from Harvard Kennedy School, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Melbourne. The journal employs double-blind peer review processes comparable to those at journals published by Sage Publications, Taylor & Francis, and Wiley-Blackwell, with reviewers drawn from networks including the Academy of Management, European Group for Organizational Studies, and the International Society for Third-Sector Research. Ethical oversight reflects standards articulated by the Committee on Publication Ethics and university research offices at Oxford, Cambridge, and UCL.

Publication and Indexing

Published by Emerald Group Publishing, the journal appears quarterly and is distributed to subscribers including libraries at Harvard Library, Bodleian Library, Library of Congress, and the British Library. It is indexed in databases and directories such as Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and Google Scholar, and is included in library catalogues at University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Princeton University, and Johns Hopkins University. Abstracting services like Cabell's, DOAJ, and Ulrich's Periodicals Directory list the journal alongside titles from Routledge, Springer, and Elsevier.

Article Types and Thematic Content

Typical submissions include empirical studies employing methods used in work at MIT Media Lab, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and ESADE Business School, conceptual papers building on theory from Max Weber scholarship, institutional analysis influenced by Douglass North, and case studies of organizations such as Oxfam, CARE, Teach For All, and Fairtrade International. Thematic clusters often explore measurement practices from the Global Impact Investing Network, governance exemplars like cooperative banks, scaling strategies referenced by McKinsey & Company, and policy interventions from the European Union, United Nations, and national governments including the UK, Australia, Canada, and India.

Impact and Reception

The journal has been cited in research produced by scholars at Tilburg University, University of Bath, University of Glasgow, and Copenhagen Business School, and has influenced practitioner networks including Social Enterprise UK, Yunus Social Business, and the Schwab Foundation community. Its articles inform curricula at business schools such as Saïd Business School, Judge Business School, and Fuqua School of Business and are used in executive education at London Business School and HEC Paris. Reviews and discussions have appeared in outlets like Stanford Social Innovation Review, Third Sector, The Economist, and Financial Times.

Notable Contributors and Editorial Board

Contributors and board members have included academics and practitioners associated with institutions such as University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, University of Toronto, Columbia University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, INSEAD, Bocconi University, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, King’s College London, University College London, Durham University, University of Nottingham, University of Birmingham, University of Warwick, University of Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Surrey, University of Portsmouth, University of Bath, Copenhagen Business School, Tilburg University, ESADE, HEC Paris, Saïd Business School, Judge Business School, Fuqua School of Business, Kellogg School of Management, Wharton School, Stern School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, Monash University, National University of Singapore, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and Universidad de los Andes. Category:Academic journals