Social impact measurement in social enterprises: An interdependence perspective

In response to recent calls for a better understanding of the connection between social enterprises and their environments, we focus on the influence of funding relationships on social impact measurement in social enterprises in Vietnam. We utilize resource dependence theory and take a multiple case study approach to explore the issue. The findings suggest that in order to understand and explain the social impact measurement behaviours of social enterprises and funding organizations, it is critical to understand the interdependence of the parties rather than focus on the technical issue of measurement alone. The paper contributes to the relatively scant but burgeoning theoretical foundations of the social impact measurement and social entrepreneurship domains. Copyright (c) 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.