From problem to solution: The rhetoric of the discourse of social entrepreneurs

Abstract

This article presents the result of analysis of the discourse of modern social entrepreneurs as actors in the legitimation of social problems of society. Based on the ideas of a constructionist approach, we considered social problems not as an objective reality in society, but as a construct of claimsmaking to change a situation created by people. Recent studies show the low effectiveness of measures used by 'insiders' of social policy. Social entrepreneurs, being new actors in the process of advancing and legitimizing social problems, according to the authors, have high potential not only in constructing a social problem, but also in developing its effective solution. The empirical basis of the study was public speaking, interviews, and descriptions of projects presented on official websites, crowd platforms and social networks of leaders of Russian social entrepreneurship Guzel Sanzhapova (Maly Turysh village, Sverdlovsk region) and Daria Alekseeva (Charity Shop, Moscow). Both entrepreneurs are actively involved in the discourse of social problems, formulate claims-making and promote them in public arenas. In our analysis we use the concept of Peter Ibarra and John Kitsuse, which measures the discourse of social problems in four dimensions of rhetoric: Rhetorical idioms, counter-rhetoric, motifs and claims-making styles. The study showed that social entrepreneurs on the public arena do not use negative and dramatic rhetorical idioms, such as the rhetoric of endangerment, unreason and calamity. There are rhetoric of loss and rhetoric of entitlement. We conclude that social entrepreneurs play the role of 'social constructivists' (according to the Shaker Zahra typology), filling social gaps, solving acute social problems, working in those areas and with those groups that remain beyond the interests of other agents of social policy. © 2021 National Research University Higher School of Economics. All rights reserved.