Balancing “Protective Disguise” with “Harmonious Advocacy”: Social Venture Legitimation in Authoritarian Contexts
- 1 February 2023
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Academy of Management in The Academy of Management Journal
- Vol. 66 (1), 67-101
- https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2020.0517
Abstract
This paper seeks to advance understanding of how new social ventures can gain legitimacy in authoritarian contexts. Through a study of a new disability rights organization in post-revolutionary Egypt, we theorize how authoritarianism poses distinct challenges for social ventures that require different legitimation strategies than those commonly reported in the literature. Specifically, we use our case study to build a theoretical model that suggests social ventures need to achieve optimal assimilation by balancing protective disguise with harmonious advocacy. By explicitly theorizing social venture legitimation in authoritarian contexts, we advance the budding literature on social venture legitimation that has so far predominantly considered legitimation in more democratic contexts. Moreover, our study shows that organizational legitimacy may need to be conceptualized differently when examining social ventures—and indeed other forms of organization—in authoritarian regimes.Keywords
This publication has 71 references indexed in Scilit:
- Seeking Qualitative Rigor in Inductive ResearchOrganizational Research Methods, 2012
- The Legitimacy of Social Entrepreneurship: Reflexive Isomorphism in a Pre–Paradigmatic FieldEntrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 2010
- Successful social entrepreneurial business models in the context of developing economiesInternational Journal of Emerging Markets, 2007
- The legitimacy of social enterpriseNonprofit Management and Leadership, 2004
- Liberal government and authoritarianismEconomy and Society, 2002
- Learning from successful local private firms in China: Establishing legitimacyAcademy of Management Perspectives, 2001
- What Do We Know About Democratization After Twenty Years?Annual Review of Political Science, 1999
- To be different, or to be the same? It’s a question (and theory) of strategic balanceStrategic Management Journal, 1999
- Managing Legitimacy: Strategic and Institutional ApproachesAcademy of Management Review, 1995
- Sources of Popular Support for Authoritarian RegimesAmerican Journal of Political Science, 1989