Public and political interest in social entrepreneurship (SE) is increasing while it remains a
contested and ambiguous concept. Philipp Kenel traces the popular media representation of SE in
Germany over time (1999-2021) making an important empirical contribution to the sociological
and political understanding of the phenomenon. He shows that until 2008 SE was mainly
understood as a reform of the welfare infrastructure (including public and non-profit
institutions). From 2009 SE was increasingly conceptualised as part of the economy while
sometimes challenging and other times reaffirming mainstream economic logics. More recently in
somewhat competing perspectives SE has been framed as part of the ¿start-up¿ world or as a
force for deeper social and ecological transformation.
