Contextualisation Matters: Aligning Social Enterprises to Nation-State Diversity

Whether or not social enterprises (SE) contribute to a constructive development of nation-states’ social systems depends on how they are adapted to national and local traditions and circumstances. This seems to be a major challenge in research, because statistical and economistic studies often discuss, compare and attempt to transfer the same solutions to a diversity of social structures. Instead we need to approach new social initiatives in an active and open discussion in order to counteract a seemingly endless pursuit of new universalised initiatives to address social challenges. The relationship between universalism and local context can be conceptualised by the fact that there is a global moral universe of moral and egalitarian principles of humanity as a whole, but that these principles and ideals must always be negotiated in the local context.