Our team have curated a selection of short, easy to read pieces on the relationships between social enterprise and democracy, including the effects of democratic backsliding on civil society and what social enterprises can do to enhance democracy in society and in their own organisations.
These readings are from a variety of authors and organisations and should all be free to read online.
2025
A hard-hitting article on the challenges that threaten digital democracy, social innovation, and international relations.
2025
When democracy comes under attack, what can impact investors do to protect and advance democratic principles and institutions?
2024
This article argues that pro-democracy civil society organizations are the foundation of a functioning and liberal democracy and suggests what the common characteristics of these are across different countries.
2024
This article from the Rebalance project explains why social enterprises engage in political advocacy and what types of advocacy they engage in.
2023
Another Rebalance article, this time exploring a new civil society approach to “political innovation” that is supporting citizen-led innovations to revitalize democracy.
Six social enterprise essentials: Why true social enterprises reject hierarchy and embrace democracy.
2022
This article looks at why social enterprises should embrace democratic governance and what it should look like in practice.
2020
This piece looks at what social entrepreneurs can do to improve civic engagement and enhance democracy, including an interview with a US-based social entrepreneur seeking to do just that.
Doing democracy: how social entrepreneurs bridge divides, fight apathy and strengthen civil liberties.
2019
This downloadable report from Ashoka discusses the findings from interviews with 25 leading social entrepreneurs that work to strengthen democracy and details the strategies they use to achieve such goals.
2019
This article discusses three social entrepreneurs who have used their platforms to lobby for political change.
