Social enterprise in Cambodia : typology and institutionalisation

In Cambodia, the explicit use of the notion of social enterprise (SE) varies across academia, civil society and public policy. Understanding and implementation of the concept tend to be more advanced among foreign actors, who often come from non-governmental development organisations, than they are among Cambodian development practitioners, among whom SE is best described as an emerging concept or language. The institutionalisation process of social enterprise models considerably determines the ability of particular types of social enterprises to attract resources and support. In Cambodia, the different forces at work in the institutionalisation of SEs include: governmental policy and international development institutions; and non-governmental organization (NGO)- and civil society organization-coordinating institutions within Cambodia. Among Cambodian SEs, non-profit/for-profit partnerships are the SEs that are most likely to attract equity investment, since NGOs are not allowed to make profits for private investors.