Perceived Institutional Ambiguity and the Choice of Organizational Form in Social Entrepreneurial Ventures

Overview

This paper examines how perceived institutional ambiguity shapes the organizational form choices of social entrepreneurs. When the institutional environment sends mixed signals about appropriate structures, social entrepreneurs face a distinct form of uncertainty that influences whether they choose for-profit, nonprofit, or hybrid organizational forms.

Contribution to the Research Program

An early paper connecting institutional uncertainty to entrepreneurial decision-making — a theme that would later develop into the lab's comprehensive treatment of knowledge problems and Knightian uncertainty.