Social entrepreneurship and the effects of social capital "Fırat University example"

This study aims to comprehensively examine the effects of social entrepreneurship on social capital, with the goal of understanding the transformations it brings about within the context of social development. The research also seeks to contribute to the literature by providing a more in-depth perspective on the long-term impacts of social enterprises on local communities. Although the relationship between social entrepreneurship and social capital holds significant importance in social development processes, there is a lack of sufficient research addressing how these two concepts interact, the sustainability of the social impacts of social enterprises, and the role of social capital in these processes. This study focuses on investigating how social enterprises influence social capital and strengthen trust, collaboration, and solidarity among communities. This study employed a descriptive survey model using quantitative research methods. A survey method was used in the data collection process, and students from the faculty of economics and administrative sciences, where social entrepreneurship and social capital are most effectively used, were selected as the sample. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS 25, and hypotheses were tested using statistical techniques such as factor analysis and regression analysis. The "Social Entrepreneurship Competence Scale in Higher Education" developed by Soba and Yıldız (2020), as well as the "Institutional Trust Scale" and "Group Belonging Scale" developed by Uçar (2016), were used in the study. Findings reveal that participants generally perceive their social entrepreneurship competencies at a moderate to high level, particularly demonstrating strong attitudes in areas such as responsibility, cooperation, and teamwork. High scores in innovativeness and openness to learning highlight the importance of innovative thinking and adaptability in social entrepreneurship. Participants who received social entrepreneurship education reported higher competency perceptions, indicating a positive contribution of education to competence development in this field. However, lower perceptions in entrepreneurial intention and voluntarism suggest the need for improvement in these areas. Moreover, social entrepreneurship perceptions varied according to demographic variables such as age and income. Participants' institutional trust perceptions were generally at a moderate to low level, showing partial trust in the functionality of state institutions while maintaining a critical stance on justice and equity issues. Female participants and those aged 24 and above exhibited higher levels of institutional trust. Differences among academic departments were observed, whereas social entrepreneurship education and parental education levels did not significantly affect institutional trust. Additionally, participants with lower income levels demonstrated higher institutional trust perceptions. Regarding group belongingness, participants showed strong belief in shared goals and mutual trust within their social groups, and social support and solidarity were found to reinforce the sense of belonging. Female participants reported higher levels of group belongingness than males, while no significant differences were found based on age, academic department, or grade level. Income status emerged as a determining factor in belongingness perceptions, whereas social entrepreneurship education and parental education levels had no significant effect. Furthermore, individuals with higher institutional trust exhibited stronger group belongingness perceptions. The study found no significant relationship between social entrepreneurship competency and institutional trust; however, a moderate positive correlation existed between social entrepreneurship competency and group belongingness, and a low to moderate positive correlation between institutional trust and group belongingness. These results indicate that social entrepreneurship skills strengthen individuals' sense of belonging but do not directly affect their institutional trust perceptions. Overall, it was concluded that social entrepreneurship competency and institutional trust are related to group belongingness but function as independent variables.