Female social entrepreneurship: A research proposal on identity strategies, legitimacy acquisition, and performance impact

Subjects: Psychology >> Other Disciplines of Psychology Subjects: Management Science >> Other Disciplines of Management Science submitted time 2023-12-29

DENG Wei SONG Rui ZHOU Wen-xin

Abstract： Identity, as the starting point for the entrepreneurial behavior and outcomes of female social entrepreneurs, is crucial in addressing the key issues they face - gaining legitimacy and enhancing entrepreneurial performance. However, there is still a lack of research on the relationship between female social entrepreneurs’ identity strategies and legitimacy acquisition, as well as on the underlying mechanisms of how identity integration enhances social entrepreneurial performance. Therefore, this study follows the progressive logic of “identity strategy-legitimacy acquisition- performance impact” to carry out three sub-studies. First, based on the identity theory, we explored the impact of identity strategies on women’s social entrepreneurial decision-making through experimental conjoint analysis. Second, based on the institutional logic perspective, we used fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore the configurational impact of identity strategies on legitimacy acquisition. Finally, we constructed a theoretical model based on the identity theory to analyze the impact of female social entrepreneurs’ identity integration on social entrepreneurial performance. This model reveals the mediating role of legitimacy and the moderating role of social bricolage. Our research findings can help guide female social entrepreneurs to develop a clear self-cognition and make informed entrepreneurial decisions to successfully gain legitimacy, thus enhancing social entrepreneurial performance.

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