WORLD YOUTH REPORT YOUTH SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND THE 2030 AGENDA WORLD YOUTH REPORT YOUTH SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND THE 2030 AGENDA World Youth Report Published by the United Nations New York, New York 10017 United States of America United Nations Publication Sales No.: E.20.IV.2 ISBN: 978-92-1-130406-0 eISBN: 978-92-1-005002-9 Print ISSN: 2411-8958 Online ISSN: 2411-8974 Copyright © United Nations, 2020 All rights reserved All queries or rights and licenses including subsidiary rights should be addressed to United Nations Publications, 405 E. 42nd Street (Room S-09-FW001), New York, NY 10017, United States of America; email: [email protected]; website: shop.un.org. Note: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitations of its frontiers. The term “country” as used in the text of the present report also refers, as appropriate, to territories or areas. The designations of country groups in the text and the tables are intended solely for statistical or analytical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgment about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process. Mention of the names of firms and commercial products does not imply the endorsement of the United Nations. Technical Note: In this publication, unless otherwise indicated, the term “youth” refers to all those between the ages of 15 and 24, as reflected in the World Programme of Action for Youth. The term “young people” may be used interchangeably with the word “youth”. Disclaimer: The views expressed in the contributions to this publication are those of the individual authors and do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the United Nations or of the organizations with which the authors are affiliated. Front Cover Photo: ILO / Marcel Crozet Design: Graphic Design Unit, Outreach Division, Department of Global Communications, United Nations, New York The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat is a vital interface between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and national action. The Department works in three main interlinked areas: it compiles, generates and analyses a wide range of economic, social and environmental data and information on which Member States of the United Nations draw to review common problems and to take stock of policy options; it facilitates the negotiations of Member States in many intergovernmental bodies on joint courses of action to address ongoing or emerging global challenges; and it advis- es interested Governments on the ways and means of translating policy frameworks developed in United Nations conferences and summits into programmes at the country level and, through technical assistance, helps build national capacities. www.un.org/development/desa/youth ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The World Youth Report, prepared biennially, is the flag- and Executive Director at Tiwale), Luisa De Simone, (in her ship publication on youth issues of the Department capacity of co-author of the European Learning for Youth of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations in Social Entrepreneurship (ELYSE) Final Report), Sarah Secretariat. The World Youth Report: Youth Social Fotheringham (Research and Evaluation Consultant), Entrepreneurship and the 2030 Agenda is a product of Lani Fraizer (Professor/Principal Digital Transformation, the efforts, contributions and support of many peo- Workforce Wellbeing, Future of Work, Carnegie Mellon ple and organizations. The Report was prepared by the University — Heinz College of Information Systems and Division for Inclusive Social Development, led by Director Public Policy), Diane Holt (Professor of Entrepreneurship, Daniela Bas. Director Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies at University of Leeds), Sabine Mensah (Digital The Report represents a collaborative effort and Financial Service specialist for the United Nations reflects the input and contributions of experts in the field Capital Development Fund), Pezana Rexha (Founder and of youth social entrepreneurship and development. Much CEO of Pana: Storytelling Furniture), and Jana Svedova of the research and writing was carried out by Isabelle (Director, Impact Investments and Social Venture Stream Legare (Social Affairs Officer) and Mario Spiezio (Associate Lead at the University of British Columbia and co-founder Social Affairs Officer) under the guidance of Nicola of Synergy Social Ventures). Shepherd (Chief of the Programme on Youth Unit). In addition, a number of colleagues within the The United Nations Department of Economic and Division for Inclusive Social Development, including Social Affairs would like to extend very special thanks to Sophie Greenfield, Meriam Gueziel, Xavier Larsen and the Report’s contributing authors; Tina P. Kruse (Professor Anna Trub contributed to the Report. Constructive in the Department of Educational Studies at Macalester feedback from many colleagues within and outside the College), Willem (Wim) Naudé (Professor of Business and Department of Economic and Social Affairs also sup- Entrepreneurship at Maastricht University and Visiting ported the preparation of the Report. Professor in Technology, Innovation, Marketing and Entrepreneurship at RWTH Aachen University), and Virva Finally, a sincere thank you is extended to Terri Lore, Salmivaara (Post-doctoral researcher in Entrepreneurship who patiently edited the Report. and Innovation Management at Aalto University School of We are grateful to all others who have contributed Business in Helsinki). to this Report. The Report also benefited from the contributions of a group of experts which included Ellen Chilemba (Founder iv WORLD YOUTH REPORT: Youth Social Entrepreneurship and the 2030 Agenda CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................... iv EXPLANATORY NOTES ........................................................... ix Abbreviations used in the Report ...................................................... ix Notes on regional, country and area groupings and subgroupings ................................ x EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................ 1 Introduction ..................................................................... 1 Social entrepreneurship ������������������������������������������������������������� 1 Youth development and participation ...................................................2 Youth social entrepreneurship: potential and challenges ......................................2 Leveraging new technologies ���������������������������������������������������������3 Recommendations .................................................................3 Conclusion ......................................................................3 INTRODUCTION ................................................................5 CHAPTER 1: SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP ............................................9 Introduction .....................................................................9 1.1 The rise of social entrepreneurship ................................................ 10 1.2 Defining social entrepreneurship .................................................. 14 1.3 Comparing social enterprises with other entities ...................................... 16 1.4 Social entrepreneurship and the 2030 Agenda: a first look �������������������������������� 19 1.5 Social entrepreneurship and individuals “at the last mile” ................................. 22 1.6 Measuring the social impact ..................................................... 29 1.7 Overview of some challenges ���������������������������������������������������� 32 1.8 What about young people? ...................................................... 36 Conclusion ��������������������������������������������������������������������� 37 CHAPTER 2: YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND PARTICIPATION ����������������������������� 39 Introduction .................................................................... 39 2.1 Youth development and participation at a glance ...................................... 43 2.2 Youth employment at a glance ................................................... 44 2.3 Social entrepreneurship: a viable employment route for youth? ............................ 55 2.4 Social entrepreneurship: an efficient development platform for youth? ....................... 57 2.5 Social entrepreneurship: a practical pathway to social change for youth? ...................... 58 2.6 Social entrepreneurship: supporting youth access to networks and resources? ................. 60 2.7 Social entrepreneurship: an avenue for youth to contribute to social change? .................. 61 Conclusion ��������������������������������������������������������������������� 63 WORLD YOUTH REPORT: Youth Social Entrepreneurship and the 2030 Agenda v CHAPTER 3: YOUTH SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP: POTENTIAL AND CHALLENGES ......... 65 Introduction .................................................................... 65 3.1 SWOT analysis of young people as social entrepreneurs and relevant external factors ............. 66 3.1.1 Strengths .............................................................. 67 3.1.2 Weaknesses ������������������������������������������������������������� 69 3.1.3 Opportunities