Impact work. An ethnographic Journey into the Making of Impact Entrepeneurship

“Impact work” is a book about impact in the making. It is a story of hope and collaboration unveiling the social and cultural challenges and contradictions faced by those attempting to create alternative organizations. Through in-depth immersion in the day-to-day running of a social impact accelerator I will provide an insider look into the intricate, behind-the-scenes socialization through which entrepreneurs learn the ropes of impact entrepreneurship and shed light on the roles of the key players of this unique social world.

In doing so, I will show that impact emerges iteratively from a process of social engagement and negotiation among entrepreneurs, investors, corporate executives, and mentors as they collaborate in the mundane processes of its production, what I call “Impact work.” This book main thesis also raises timely questions for the field of impact, such as “Should impact always be the purpose for creating a social venture?”; “How can we ensure the credibility of the promise to have an impact?”; “Is impact entrepreneurship any different than social entrepreneurship?”; “Isn’t impact entrepreneurship reproducing existing structural inequalities?”; “How can we make impact entrepreneurship more inclusive?”