Response to "The Meaning of 'Social Entrepreneurship'”, by J. Gregory Dees

Article - The Meaning of “Social Entrepreneurship”

Value creation, and ways of measuring it, was a central point in this article. The author states that it’s easy for a business entrepreneur to observe value creation by measuring wealth creation. They are subject to market discipline. The profit that a venture generates is a good indicator of the value it has created. However, markets do not work for social entrepreneurs because it is hard to value social improvements, public goods and harms, and benefits for people who cant afford to pay. I agree with the author that it is much harder to measure social value creation in social entrepreneurships, than it is to measure wealth creation in business entrepreneurships, because it is not quantifiable. However, I don’t think it is impossible to do. For example, if an entrepreneur is trying to help treat people with a certain disease, it can count how many people have been treated. Similarly, if an entrepreneur is providing education to people who cant afford it, they can keep count of the number of people they have put through school.