Ecosystems in Social Entrepreneurship: A Review and Future Research Agenda

The John Gokongwei School of Management invites you to a Brown Bag Session on “Ecosystems in Social Entrepreneurship: A Review and Future Research Agenda". Our presenters are Monique Ann Tiongco, Anna Krzeminska, Meena Chavan, and Christina Theodoraki.

This will be held on Wednesday, 18 March 2026 from 12:00 - 1:30PM at the Cabochan Room, SOM 307 and online via Zoom. Please register here: https://bit.ly/jgsombrownbag18mar2026

Brief Description of the Topic:

The ecosystem perspective has gained prominence in entrepreneurship research, shifting focus from individual ventures to multi-actor systems that co-create value. Social entrepreneurship (SE) research has similarly adopted an ecosystem lens to explain how social value is generated, scaled, and sustained across contexts. Despite growing interest, ecosystem in SE research remains fragmented and theoretically underdeveloped, with existing reviews offering largely descriptive insights.

This study addresses this gap through a systematic literature review examining the theoretical foundations of ecosystem within the context of SE. Guided by the question— What are the theoretical themes shaping SE ecosystem literature and what are the resulting gaps for future theoretical development of the field? —the review synthesizes studies with explicit and implicit theoretical orientations. Four overarching perspectives emerge: human and behavioral, network and resource, institutional and evolutionary, and ecosystem and systems perspectives.

About the Speakers:

Monique Ann Tiongco is pursuing her PhD in Management at Macquarie University in Australia and concurrently serving as an instructor in the Department of Quantitative Methods and Information Technology at Ateneo. Her research interests include social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial ecosystems and the sustainability of responsible organizations, where she utilizes tools such as system dynamics, systems thinking and qualitative methods.

Anna Krzeminska is a multi-award-winning, internationally recognised scholar leading an international research and industry engagement portfolio in strategic management of social impact and entrepreneurship. Currently, she serves as Associate Professor and Engagement & Impact Coordinator in the Department of Management at Macquarie Business School. She is also a Research Fellow at the Leuphana University Research Center for Entrepreneurship Evidence, Germany and the co-founding Director of the Neurodiversity Hubs at University of Queensland and Macquarie University. Her award-winning research explores social impact issues such as neurodiversity and autism employment, intercultural tensions and immigrant (social) entrepreneurs, management of hybridity paradox, legitimation of new social impact markets, social impact business models, and leadership and governance for social impact.

Meena Chavan is an Associate Professor of International Business and Entrepreneurship and Program Director Master of Research (Management) at the Macquarie Business School, Sydney, Australia. She is a member of the Innovation, Strategy & Entrepreneurship Research Centre at Macquarie University. Meena is an active researcher, using both qualitative and quantitative method designs at the intersection of International Business and Entrepreneurship. She is the author and editor of four scholarly books, including works on intercultural management, migrant entrepreneurship, Indigenous women entrepreneurship, and women’s entrepreneurship in Asia Her research focuses on the interface of international business, entrepreneurship, government-MNE strategy, societal issues for exploring the interplay of macro, micro and meso factors in understanding the unique aspects and impacts of the institutional contexts on firm strategies.

Christina Theodoraki is Full Professor (HDR) in entrepreneurship and strategic management IAE Aix-Marseille Graduate School of Management, Aix-Marseille University, CERGAM, affiliate professor at the International University of Monaco, Advisory Board Member at the Institute for Development Strategies at the University of Indiana and Business Development Manager at the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Research Network. She is Editor of Small Business Economics, Associate editor of the Journal of Small Business Management, Management & Prospective – Gestion 2000, and Revue internationale PME, and member of the editorial boards of Review of Managerial Science (RMS), Entrepreneurship Research Journal, Journal of Enterprising Communities, Journal of the Knowledge Economy. Her research interests include entrepreneurial ecosystems, entrepreneurial support, and interorganizational strategies with a focus on business incubators.