Comprendre l’entrepreneuriat social en contexte urbain africain : biais cognitifs, lacunes conceptuelles et relecture théorique à partir de Kinshasa
Keywords:
Entrepreneuriat social, biais cognitifs, innovation sociale, organisations hybrides, informalité, Kinshasa
Abstract
Cet article conceptuel examine les limites de la compréhension de l’entrepreneuriat social dans les contextes urbains africains, en prenant Kinshasa comme cadre analytique. Il part du constat d’un décalage persistant entre la réalité des pratiques d’entrepreneuriat social et les représentations qu’en ont les étudiants universitaires. En mobilisant une analyse théorique approfondie, l’étude met en évidence des biais cognitifs et des lacunes conceptuelles qui entravent l’appropriation de l’entrepreneuriat social. Elle propose une relecture du concept adaptée aux environnements caractérisés par l’informalité et les défaillances institutionnelles, en définissant l’entrepreneuriat social comme un ensemble de pratiques hybrides articulant valeur sociale, viabilité économique et ancrage communautaire. L’article développe une typologie contextualisée, illustrée par des cas locaux, et propose un cadre conceptuel intégrateur. Des implications pédagogiques et sociétales sont discutées afin de renforcer l’intégration académique et la pertinence pratique de l’entrepreneuriat social dans les universités africaines
This conceptual paper examines the limitations in understanding social entrepreneurship within African urban contexts, using Kinshasa as an analytical setting. It starts from the observation of a persistent gap between the realities of social innovation practices and students’ representations of this form of entrepreneurship. Drawing on an in-depth theoretical analysis, the study highlights cognitive biases and conceptual gaps that hinder the appropriation of social entrepreneurship. It proposes a reappraisal of the concept tailored to environments characterized by informality and institutional voids, defining social entrepreneurship as a set of hybrid practices combining social value creation, economic viability, and community embeddedness. The paper develops a contextualized typology illustrated with local cases and advances an integrative conceptual framework. Pedagogical and societal implications are discussed to enhance both academic integration and the practical relevance of social entrepreneurship in African universities.
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References
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21. Mair, J. (2006). Introduction to part II—Exploring the intentions and opportunities behind social entrepreneurship. In J. Mair, J. Robinson, & K. Hockerts, (Eds). Social Entrepreneurship (pp. 89-94). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230625 655_6
22. Mair, J., Marti, I., & Ventresca, M.J. (2012). Building inclusive markets in rural Bangladesh: How intermediaries work institutional voids. Academy of Management Journal, 55(4), 819–850. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2010.0627
23. Mair, J., Wolf, M., & Seelos, C. (2016). Scaffolding: A process of transforming patterns of inequality in small-scale societies. Academy of Management Journal, 59, 2021–2044. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2015.0725
24. Mair, J., & Marti, I. (2006). Social entrepreneurship research: A source of explanation, prediction, and delight. Journal of World Business, 41, 36–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb. 2005.09.002
25. Mair, J., & Noboa, E. (2006). Social entrepreneurship: How intentions to create a social venture are formed. In J. Mair, J. Robinson, & K. Hockerts, (Eds). Social Entrepreneurship (pp. 121-135). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/97802 30625 655_8
26. Martin, R.L., & Osberg, S. (2007). Social entrepreneurship: The case for definition. Stanford. Social Innovation Review, 28–39.
27. Mitchell, R.K., Busenitz, L., Lant, T., McDougall, P.P., Morse, E.A., & Smith, J.B. (2002). Toward a Theory of Entrepreneurial Cognition: Rethinking the People Side of Entrepreneurship Research. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 27(2), 93-104. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-8520.00001
28. Moss, T.W., Short, J.C., Payne, G.T., & Lumpkin, G.T. (2011). Dual Identities in Social Ventures: An Exploratory Study. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 35(4), 805-830. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2010.00372.x
29. Nilsson, S., Samuelsson, M., & Meyer, C. (2022). Social entrepreneurs’ use of spatial bricolage to create frugal innovation in a divided urban setting. Africa Journal of Management, 8(3), 298–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322373.2022.2071578
30. Radjou, N., & Prabhu, J. (2015). L’innovation frugale. Comment faire mieux avec moins. Paris : Diateino.
31. Rawhouser, H., Cummings, M., & Newbert, S.L. (2019). Social Impact Measurement: Current Approaches and Future Directions for Social Entrepreneurship Research. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 43(1), 82-115. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258717727718
32. Rivera-Santos, M., Holt, D., Littlewood, D., & Kolk, A. (2015). Social entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa. Academy of Management Perspectives, 29(1), 72–91. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2013.0128
33. Santos, F.M. (2012). A positive theory of social entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Ethics, 111, 335–351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1413-4
34. Seelos, C., & Mair, J. (2005). Social entrepreneurship: Creating new business models to serve the poor. Business Horizons, 48, 241–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2004.11.006
35. Sen, A. (1999). Commodities and Capabilities. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
36. Sydow, A., Cannatelli, B.L., Giudici, A. & Molteni, M. (2022). Entrepreneurial Workaround Practices in Severe Institutional Voids: Evidence From Kenya. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 46(2), 331-367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258720929891.
37. Smith, W.K., & Lewis, M.W. (2011). Toward a theory of paradox: A dynamic equilibrium model of organizing. Academy of Management Review, 36(2), 381–403. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2011.59330958
38. Spigel, B., & Harrison, R. (2018). Toward a process theory of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 12, 151–168. https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1268
39. Stephan, U., Patterson, M., Kelly, C., & Mair, J. (2016). Organizations driving positive social change: A review and an integrative framework of change processes. Journal of Management, 42, 1250–1281. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316633268
40. Torraco, R.J. (2005). Writing integrative literature reviews: Guidelines and examples. Human Resource Development Review, 4(3), 356–367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484305278283
41. Webb, J.W., Khoury, T.A., & Hitt, M.A. (2020). The influence of formal and informal institutional voids on entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 44(3), 504–526. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258719830310
42. Webb, J.W., Tihanyi, L., Ireland, R.D., & Sirmon, D.G. (2009). You say illegal, I say legitimate: Entrepreneurship in the informal economy. The Academy of Management Review, 34(3), 492–510. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2009.40632826
2. Austin, J., Stevenson, H., & Wei-Skillern, J. (2006). Social and commercial entrepreneurship: Same, different, or both? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 30, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2006.00107.x
3. Bacq, S., Janssen, F., Sabbatucci, AS., & Wuillaume, A. (2025). The dark side of doing good: a guiding framework for advancing research on the negative outcomes of social entrepreneurship. Small Business Economics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-025-01094-3
4. Bacq, S., & Alt, E. (2018). Feeling capable and valued: A prosocial perspective on the link between empathy and social entrepreneurial intentions. Journal of Business Venturing, 33, 333-350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2018.01.004
5. Bacq, S., & Janssen, F. (2011). The multiple faces of social entrepreneurship: A review of definitional issues based on geographical and thematic criteria. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 23, 373–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2011.577242
6. Baker, T., & Nelson, R.E. (2005). Creating something from nothing: Resource construction through entrepreneurial bricolage. Administrative Science Quarterly, 50, 329–366. https://doi.org/10.2189/asqu.2005.50.3.329
7. Battilana, J. (2018). Cracking the organizational challenge of pursing joint social and financial goals: Social enterprise as a laboratory to understand hybrid organizing, Management, 21(4), 1278-1305.
8. Battilana, J., & Lee, M. (2014). Advancing research on hybrid organizing – Insights from the study of social enterprises. Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), 397–441. https://doi.org/10.1080/19416520.2014.893615
9. Besharov, M. (2022). Organizational Hybridity, Social Enterprise, and Social Innovation: Disentangling Concepts to Advance Theory and Practice. In A. Vaccaro & T. Ramus, (Eds). Social Innovation and Social Enterprise. Issues in Business Ethics (pp. 15-33). Switzerland: Spinger. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96596-9-2.
10. Cajaiba-Santana, G. (2014). Social innovation: Moving the field Foward. A Conceptual framework. Technological and Social Change, 82, 42-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2013.05.008
11. Dabic, M. (2022). Frugal innovations: A multidisciplinary review & agenda for future research, Journal of Business Research, 142, 914-929. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusrec.2022.01.032
12. Dacin, M.T., Dacin, P.A., & Tracey, P. (2011). Social entrepreneurship: A critique and future directions. Organization Science, 22, 1203–1213. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1100.0620
13. Fischer, B., Guerrero, M., Guimón, J., & Schaeffer, P.R. (2021). Knowledge transfer for frugal innovation: where do entrepreneurial universities stand? Journal of Knowledge Management, 25(2), 360-379. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-01-2020-0040
14. Hiatt, S.R., Sine, W.D., & Tolbert, P.S. (2009). From Pabst to Pepsi: The deinstitutionalization of social practices and the emergence of entrepreneurial opportunities. Administrative Science Quarterly, 54, 635–667. https://doi.org/10.2189/asqu.2009.54.4.635
15. Janssen, F., Fayolle, A., & Wuillaume, A. (2018). Researching bricolage in social entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 30, 450–470. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2017.1413769
16. Kakenza Kitumba, G., Makumole Kikomina, L., Kutunga Nijikap, R., Atukumbusa Tulengi, C., Kandolo Mbombo, H., & Mbwaka Mandudi, J. (2025). Psychological Capital and Proactive Coping as Strategic Resources: Extending the Resource-Based View in Informal Micro-Entrepreneurship. Open Journal of Business and Management, 13(6), 3993-4021. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojbm.2025.136218
17. Kolk, A., & Rivera-Santos, M. (2018). The State of Research on Africa in Business and Management: Insights From a Systematic Review of Key International Journals. Business & Society, 57(3), 415-436. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650316629129
18. Lelo Nzuzi, F. (2025). Kinshasa : Enjeux et défis urbains. Paris : L’Harmattan.
19. Littlewood, D., & Holt, D. (2018). Social entrepreneurship in South Africa: Exploring the influence of environment. Business & Society, 57, 525–561. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650315613293
20. Lumpkin, G.T., & Bacq, S. (2019). Civic wealth creation: A new view of stakeholder engagement and societal impact. Academy of Management Perspectives, 33, 383–404. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2017.0060
21. Mair, J. (2006). Introduction to part II—Exploring the intentions and opportunities behind social entrepreneurship. In J. Mair, J. Robinson, & K. Hockerts, (Eds). Social Entrepreneurship (pp. 89-94). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230625 655_6
22. Mair, J., Marti, I., & Ventresca, M.J. (2012). Building inclusive markets in rural Bangladesh: How intermediaries work institutional voids. Academy of Management Journal, 55(4), 819–850. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2010.0627
23. Mair, J., Wolf, M., & Seelos, C. (2016). Scaffolding: A process of transforming patterns of inequality in small-scale societies. Academy of Management Journal, 59, 2021–2044. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2015.0725
24. Mair, J., & Marti, I. (2006). Social entrepreneurship research: A source of explanation, prediction, and delight. Journal of World Business, 41, 36–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb. 2005.09.002
25. Mair, J., & Noboa, E. (2006). Social entrepreneurship: How intentions to create a social venture are formed. In J. Mair, J. Robinson, & K. Hockerts, (Eds). Social Entrepreneurship (pp. 121-135). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/97802 30625 655_8
26. Martin, R.L., & Osberg, S. (2007). Social entrepreneurship: The case for definition. Stanford. Social Innovation Review, 28–39.
27. Mitchell, R.K., Busenitz, L., Lant, T., McDougall, P.P., Morse, E.A., & Smith, J.B. (2002). Toward a Theory of Entrepreneurial Cognition: Rethinking the People Side of Entrepreneurship Research. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 27(2), 93-104. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-8520.00001
28. Moss, T.W., Short, J.C., Payne, G.T., & Lumpkin, G.T. (2011). Dual Identities in Social Ventures: An Exploratory Study. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 35(4), 805-830. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2010.00372.x
29. Nilsson, S., Samuelsson, M., & Meyer, C. (2022). Social entrepreneurs’ use of spatial bricolage to create frugal innovation in a divided urban setting. Africa Journal of Management, 8(3), 298–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322373.2022.2071578
30. Radjou, N., & Prabhu, J. (2015). L’innovation frugale. Comment faire mieux avec moins. Paris : Diateino.
31. Rawhouser, H., Cummings, M., & Newbert, S.L. (2019). Social Impact Measurement: Current Approaches and Future Directions for Social Entrepreneurship Research. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 43(1), 82-115. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258717727718
32. Rivera-Santos, M., Holt, D., Littlewood, D., & Kolk, A. (2015). Social entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa. Academy of Management Perspectives, 29(1), 72–91. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2013.0128
33. Santos, F.M. (2012). A positive theory of social entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Ethics, 111, 335–351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1413-4
34. Seelos, C., & Mair, J. (2005). Social entrepreneurship: Creating new business models to serve the poor. Business Horizons, 48, 241–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2004.11.006
35. Sen, A. (1999). Commodities and Capabilities. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
36. Sydow, A., Cannatelli, B.L., Giudici, A. & Molteni, M. (2022). Entrepreneurial Workaround Practices in Severe Institutional Voids: Evidence From Kenya. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 46(2), 331-367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258720929891.
37. Smith, W.K., & Lewis, M.W. (2011). Toward a theory of paradox: A dynamic equilibrium model of organizing. Academy of Management Review, 36(2), 381–403. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2011.59330958
38. Spigel, B., & Harrison, R. (2018). Toward a process theory of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 12, 151–168. https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1268
39. Stephan, U., Patterson, M., Kelly, C., & Mair, J. (2016). Organizations driving positive social change: A review and an integrative framework of change processes. Journal of Management, 42, 1250–1281. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316633268
40. Torraco, R.J. (2005). Writing integrative literature reviews: Guidelines and examples. Human Resource Development Review, 4(3), 356–367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484305278283
41. Webb, J.W., Khoury, T.A., & Hitt, M.A. (2020). The influence of formal and informal institutional voids on entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 44(3), 504–526. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258719830310
42. Webb, J.W., Tihanyi, L., Ireland, R.D., & Sirmon, D.G. (2009). You say illegal, I say legitimate: Entrepreneurship in the informal economy. The Academy of Management Review, 34(3), 492–510. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2009.40632826
Published
2026-04-21
How to Cite
Kakenza Kitumba, G., Kandolo Mbombo, H., Kimvula Ya Malosa, P., & Mbutamuntu Lwanga, C. (2026). Comprendre l’entrepreneuriat social en contexte urbain africain : biais cognitifs, lacunes conceptuelles et relecture théorique à partir de Kinshasa. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 52, 604. Retrieved from https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/20916
Section
ESI Preprints
Copyright (c) 2026 Guylord Kakenza Kitumba, Henri Kandolo Mbombo, Patience Kimvula Ya Malosa, Charles Mbutamuntu Lwanga
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
