SRI LANKAN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY: THE UNDERLYING REASONS

Abstract

"Social entrepreneurship is an emerging domain that generates both economic and social value by addressing societal problems. Although the literature on social entrepreneurship has expanded in recent years in Western contexts, studies in developing countries remain relatively scarce. Concurrently, the creative industry has gained notable momentum in the twenty-first century; however, the intersection of social entrepreneurship and the creative sector in Sri Lanka on a contextual basis is under-researched. Therefore, this qualitative study investigates the reasons why social entrepreneurs engage in Sri Lanka’s creative industry. We conducted in-depth interviews with nine social entrepreneurs located in the Western and Central Provinces, drawing on a narrative research approach grounded in a social constructionist philosophical framework, to explore motives derived from their personal experiences. Thematic analysis was employed to identify core driving forces. Consequently, the findings reveal several key themes: preservation of cultural legacy and innovation in traditional practices, intrinsic passion for creativity, orientation towards consumer well-being and happiness, commitment to addressing social issues and dissatisfaction with conventional employment. Based on these themes, the study proposes a model linking the inner experiences of social entrepreneurs with socio-cultural and industry contexts. Finally, the study offers implications for policymakers and stakeholders, suggesting strategies to align institutional support with these principal motivational dimensions. This research fills a gap in Sri Lankan social entrepreneurship literature within the creative industry and suggests avenues for future research in other industries by contributing new empirical insight into the motives of social entrepreneurs in the creative industry.