Social Entrepreneurship in India: Quarter Idealism and a Pound of Pragmatism

255 Pages·2020·2.544 MB·English

by  Madhukar Shukla

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In his very well-researched book, Professor Shukla draws lessons
from over 120 Indian social entrepreneurs and changemakers to
present a compelling narrative on the power of entrepreneurial
thinking to create transformative change for some of society’s most
pressing problems. His book is very timely because India (and the
world) faces sizable challenges if we are to chart a future that is
sustainable, equitable and just for all segments of society. Professor
Shukla explains how complex societal challenges are also windows
of opportunity for transformative solutions that can drive change that
benefits society. Highly recommended for individuals, donors and
policy makers seeking inspiration and ideas on how to build an
ecosystem that promotes sustainable enterprises with purpose and
soul.
M. Hari Menon, India Country Director,
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Madhukar Shukla has created an architecture that defines and
places the rise of social entrepreneurship in India as no one else has
done supporting it with numerous real-life examples of entrepreneurs
and models. It is a compulsive read for anyone interested and willing
to invest in social entrepreneurship.
Mahesh Yagnaraman, India Country Director, Acumen
Madhukar Shukla’s book is a comprehensive yet very readable
treatment of the subject. He covers a vast ground, from the definition
of social enterprise to the attributes of a social entrepreneur, going
on to tackling the different stages of a social enterprise in each
chapter, all the way till scaling up. In each chapter, he uses appro-
priate theoretical inputs by various scholars and peppers those with
apt examples of real social enterprises. This inter-weaving of theory
and practice makes the book useful for both students of the field as
well as for practitioners. I think this book is a landmark addition to the
understanding of this emerging trend in society, which many claim
will be the unique institutional solution of the 21st century.
Vijay Mahajan, CEO, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation;
Founder, BASIX Social Enterprise Group
This book is the most comprehensive account of the social
enterprise ecosystem in India. It also provides the most elaborate
historical account of the evolution of social enterprises and the
inspiration behind the first set of social enterprises including Amul,
Grameen and SEWA. The book examines the crucial drivers and
values which underpin the social enterprises. A very important and
recommended text for students, researchers and practitioners alike.
Based on hosting many social enterprises at XLRI, Professor
Madhukar Shukla provides rich and empirical insight into the
functioning and characteristics of these enterprises.
Parmesh Shah, Global Lead, Rural Livelihoods and
Agriculture, World Bank
Madhukar Shukla’s Social Entrepreneurship in India: Quarter
Idealism and a Pound of Pragmatism is a unique exploration of
social entrepreneurship in India, both in theory and practice, fleshing
out rich experiences from a repertoire of 120 social ventures and
offering valuable insights. It is an absorbing tale of lessons from
these real life social ventures which use and apply innovative
approaches and models to the country’s most pressing problems.
The book is interesting, stimulating and informative, and sure to
serve as an inspiration for anyone battling between profit and
purpose.
Vipin Sharma, Chief Executive Officer,
ACCESS Development Services
Social enterprises do not succeed or scale easily, given the
challenge they grapple with, while trying to fuse social causes with
profitable business models. Passionate social entrepreneurs craft
them with considerable artistry through a lot of idealism and some
trial and error. Often, even with the benefit of hindsight, some of
them cannot explain why they succeeded. Certainly not to the extent
another entrepreneur can replicate the ‘model’.
In this backdrop, Madhukar’s book is a boon to this domain. He
analyses how the ‘markets of the poor’ are different, where the
‘opportunity structures’ exist, describes the various ‘entre preneurial
models that enable the poor to access markets’ and places the
different ‘archetypes of social entrepreneurship’ in that context.
The book is a must-read for both the ‘been there, done that’ social
entrepreneurs intending to scale, and the ‘wannabe’ entrepreneurs
looking at social problems to engage with or, for that matter, even for
the social impact funds trying to make sense of the proposals they
receive all the time.
S. Sivakumar, Group Head, Agri and
IT Businesses, ITC Limited
Madhukar’s academic interest in social entrepreneurship and his
deep engagement with its practitioners over the past several years
has culminated in the publication of this well researched and
superbly articulated book on entrepreneurship. The book
comprehensively reviews a wide spectrum of impact approaches,
highlights how entrepreneurs have created new markets for products
and services, and lays it out for the reader to appreciate the nuances
of each model and approach. At a time when entrepreneurship
appears to be the hope for addressing social, economic and
environmental challenges facing India as well as the world,
Madhukar has enriched existing entrepreneurship literature with a
solid framework based on the actual work of several mission-driven
people. I congratulate Madhukar for having authored a book that
keeps the reader engaged all through, while cleverly navigating a
complex web of market dynamics interm ingled with issues of social
impact and market failure.
Manoj Kumar, Founder and Chair,
Social Alpha (Tata Trusts)
Professor Madhukar Shukla is one of the first Indian academicians in
the area of social entrepreneurship. This book Social Entrepre-
neurship in India: Quarter Idealism and a Pound of Pragmatism
covers every fundamental aspect of social entrepreneurship which
any reader would find easy to understand. Systematic presentation
of history of social entrepreneurship, especially in India, has also
been nicely presented in the book. This book is a true depiction of
social entrepreneurs and social enterprises, and would be of
immense value to the students, teachers, researchers and the social
entrepreneurs.
Satyajit Majumdar, Professor, Centre for
Social Entrepreneurship, Tata Institute of
Social Sciences, Mumbai, India
The book by Professor Madhukar Shukla on social entrepreneurship
is welcome addition to the fast-growing domain. The book fulfils the
need of many teachers of courses in India who have been looking for
a book with not just Indian examples but also Indian perspectives.
The book examines the models, ideas and challenges of Indian
social entrepreneurs with an intimate understanding of the domain,
empathy for the journeys of social entrepreneurs and a critical lens
that helps us navigate the diversity of experiences and insights. The
chapters are well structured and explain concepts without too much
of academic jargon and are easy to read and comprehend. The book
is an extremely valuable addition which would inspire the next
generation of social entrepreneurs as well as the researchers to
build an Indian understanding of the field. Research on social
entrepreneurship from India has insufficiently reflected Indian
perspectives and nuances that Professor Shukla brings out
admirably in this book. For those looking for ways to combine
purpose and profit here is a valuable resource for inspired
pragmatism.
C. Shambu Prasad, Professor of
Strategy and Policy, IRMA (Indian Institute
of Rural Management, Anand)
Social entrepreneurship is a much-cluttered term, without a clear
definition and many enterprises claiming to be ‘social’ in nature. In
this context, this new book picks up diverse examples of social
enterprises and examines them to see what makes them tick, why
are they indeed social and what is the nature of entrepreneurship.
What is fascinating about Professor Shukla’s book is the sheer
diversity of examples that he picks up from across the sectors and
puts them through an analytical frame to make us unclutter the
space and provide clarity. The book at one level is an encyclopaedia
on the Indian social enterprise sector in terms of information, and at
another, a treatise that adds much to clarity, classification and
codification of the sector.
Professor Shukla’s annual conferences on social entrepreneurship
in Jamshedpur have been legendary, and this was a much-awaited
culmination of several years of such deep scholarly engagement.
M. S. Sriram, Distinguished Fellow
at the Institute for Development of Research in
Banking Technology (Reserve Bank of India) and
Professor of Public Policy, IIM, Bangalore