Social entrepreneurship analysis in the context of activity theory through non-governmental organizations that aim local development: The case of Turkey

In today's world, swift globalization with advancements in technology, this world order does not only create one type of human model as "homo economicus", but also causes it to be seen as a commercial subject only. While this phenomenon enhances individualism in the society, it also worsens economic, social, health, and environmental problems. These problems raise concerns both globally and locally for the future. For this reason, a new perspective is needed in order to solve social problems. The new perspective should focus on 'social human' context, which involves social life rather than individual life with the organization and management of the civil society. Running civil society efficiently is of vital importance for mitigating the social problems that are being experienced today. Research on civil society and public issues in the field of management and organization is very limited. This study reviews the methods to solve the above-mentioned problems and proposes a prototype for management of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Moreover, this study covers twenty-five associations, which were established in the LEADER Approach that aims at local development in Turkey. After the detailed literature review, the results of the questionnaire, the interviews, and participant observation methods are discussed respectively. Results indicate that the activity theory could be applied for NGO management. It has been also concluded that NGOs can improve social entrepreneurship within different dimensions such as individual, environmental and organizational factors. Furthermore, findings have been emerged on how to have a political, socio-economic, and cultural environment for the organization of çivil society. Finally, the results indicate that the null hypotheses can be seen acceptable. KEYWORDS: Activity Theory, Civil Society, Non-Governmental Organizations, Social Entrepreneurship, LEADER approach.