Building Economic Resilience Among Social Entrepreneurs Under Adverse Economic Conditions

Abstract

This study examines the mechanisms through which social entrepreneurs develop economic resilience in Santander, Colombia, a context historically characterized by armed violence, displacement, institutional instability, and resource constraints. The study proposes and empirically assesses an integrated structural model linking Capital Access, Collaboration Networks, Strategic Alliances, Adaptive Capability, Innovation and Problem-Solving, and Economic Resilience. A quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional, explanatory design was employed with 280 social entrepreneurs selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a five-point Likert scale instrument whose content validity was assessed by seven expert judges. The measurement and structural models were evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results indicated satisfactory reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity across all constructs. The structural model explained 69.4% of the variance in Adaptive Capability, 71.6% in Innovation and Problem-Solving, and 78.2% in Economic Resilience. All proposed relationships were statistically significant. Collaboration Networks showed a stronger effect on Adaptive Capability than on Economic Resilience, while Strategic Alliances demonstrated a stronger association with Innovation and Problem-Solving than with resilience directly. Adaptive Capability exerted a substantial effect on Innovation and Problem-Solving, which represented the strongest direct predictor of Economic Resilience. The findings suggest that resilience emerges not simply from access to resources, but from the capacity to transform relational and material resources into adaptive, innovative, and problem-solving processes. The proposed model therefore provides an integrated explanation of how social entrepreneurs sustain economic activity under adverse conditions and offers a basis for designing support strategies that combine financing, collaboration, alliances, adaptive learning, and innovation.