Institutional Connection and Social Entrepreneurship: The Case of Father Georgi Fotakiev's Drug Addiction Treatment Community

Андриан Неделчев; Николай Денчев

doi:10.37075/RP.2025.1.07

Authors

Adrian Nedelchev, PhD Student Department of Entrepreneurship, Business Faculty, UNWE Author
Prof. Dr Nikolay Dentchev Department of Entrepreneurship, Business Faculty, UNWE Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1064-5414

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37075/RP.2025.1.07

Keywords:

Social entrepreneurship, Institutional connectivity, Orthodox therapeutic community, Support for social entrepreneurship, Social enterprise ecosystem

H75, I38, K39, L26, L31

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship is an effective approach to addressing social issues through innovative solutions that generate public value. This article examines the impact of institutional support from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church on social entrepreneurship. The study focuses on a case of support exemplified by an Orthodox therapeutic community for drug addiction recovery, founded by Father Georgi Fotakiev and a group of dedicated priests. The findings reveal a unique model of institutional support, differing from approaches observed in other churches worldwide. The article presents conclusions that can contribute to building a model for sustainable support of social entrepreneurship in the face of complex social challenges.

References

Aleksiev, S. & Yazadzhiev, S. (1998). Pravoslavie i Ikumenizm: Zashto ne sme i zashto ne mozhem da bydeme ikumenisti? T. 1. Sv. Apostol i Evangelist Luka. ISBN: 954-9684-02-4

Certificate for Social Enterprise Class A, number 102, issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy to the association "Otvori Ochi". (2025). URL: https://secprod.mlsp.government.bg/udo_files/560-14-1720427750.pdf (accessed 2024-07-22)

Sivov, P. (2005). The Church and Social Activity: Orthodoxy.BG.

Chen, Stephen, Elango, B., & Jones, Jim (2019). Necessary conditions for social enterprise: The case of the microinsurance sector. Social Business, 9(4), 395-412. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1362/204440819X15736559839395

De Pelsmacker, Patrick & Van Kenhove, Patrick (1996). Marktonderzoek : Methoden en toepassingen. Garant.

Dentchev, N., Eiselein, P., Vander Velpen, K., Bouckaert, M., & Diaz Gonzalez, A. A. (2020). A financial guide for social entrepreneurs. Die Keure. URL: https://www.diekeure.be/professional/nl/product/a-financial-guide-forsocial-entrepreneurs/ (accessed 2024-09-21)

DiMaggio, Paul J. & Powell, Walter W. (2000). The iron cage revisited institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. Economics Meets Sociology in Strategic Management Advances in Strategic Management (Ed. Baum, J. A. C. and Dobbin, F.), pp. 143-166. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-3322(00)17011-1

Eisenhardt, Kathleen M. (1989). Building Theories from Case Study Research. Academy of Management Review, 14, 532-550. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1989.4308385 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/258557

Eisenhardt, Kathleen M. & Graebner, Melissa E. (2007). Theory Building From Cases: Opportunities And Challenges. Academy of Management Journal, 50(1), 25-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2007.24160888

Fritz, David A. & Ibrahim, Nabil A. (2010). The Impact of Leadership Longevity on Innovation in a Religious Organization. Journal of Business Ethics, 96(2), 223-231. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0460-y

N Golafshani (2003). Understanding reliability and validity in qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 8(4), 597-607.

Pelikan, J. (1976). The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 2 The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600 – 1700). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0360966900011993

Liederman, L. M. (2025). Orthodox diakonia worldwide. an initial assessment. URL: https://www.academia.edu/10350014/_orthodox_diakonia_worldwide_an_initial_assessment_ (accessed 2024-07-22)

McVea, John F. & Naughton, Michael J. (2021). Enriching Social Entrepreneurship from the Perspective of Catholic Social Teaching. Religions, 12(3), 173. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12030173

Meyer, John W. & Rowan, Brian (1977). Institutionalized Organizations: Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340-363. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/226550

North, Douglass C. & Weingast, Barry R. (1989). Constitutions and Commitment: The Evolution of Institutions Governing Public Choice in Seventeenth-Century England. The Journal of Economic History, 49(4), 803-832. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022050700009451

North Douglass C. (1990). Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511808678

North Douglass C (1991). Institutions. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 5(1), 97-112. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.5.1.97

Douglass C. North (1993). The New Institutional Economics and Development. University Library of Munich, Germany. DOI: https://ideas.repec.org/p/wpa/wuwpeh/9309002.html

North, D. C. (1994). Economic performance through time. The American Economic Review, 84(3), 359-368. URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2118057 (accessed 2024-09-21)

Randall, Donna M. & Fernandes, Maria F. (1991). The social desirability response bias in ethics research. Journal of Business Ethics, 10(11), 805-817. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383696

Sandberg, J. (2000). UNDERSTANDING HUMAN COMPETENCE AT WORK: AN INTERPRETATIVE APPROACH. Academy of Management Journal, 43(1), 9-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1556383

Thornton, P. H., Ocasio, W., & Lounsbury, M. (2012). The institutional logics perspective: a new approach to culture, structure, and process. Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.50-2388 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199601936.001.0001

Van Werven, R. (2024). Cognitive mechanisms in faith-based entrepreneurial initiatives. Journal of Social Entrepreneurship.

Williamson, Oliver E. (1979). Transaction-Cost Economics: The Governance of Contractual Relations. The Journal of Law and Economics, 22(2), 233-261. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/466942

Williamson, O. E. (1985). The Economic Institutions of Capitalism: Firms, Markets, Relational Contracting. Free Press. URL: https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/3806114/mod_resource/content/1/Williamson.pdf (accessed 2024-12-21)

Williamson, Oliver E. (1993). Calculativeness, Trust, and Economic Organization. The Journal of Law and Economics, 36(1), 453-486. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/467284

Williamson, O. E. (1996). The Mechanisms of Governance. Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195078244.001.0001

Williamson Oliver E. (1998). Transaction Cost Economics: How It Works; Where It is Headed. De Economist, 146, 23-58. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003263908567

Williamson, Oliver E (2000). The New Institutional Economics: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead. Journal of Economic Literature, 38(3), 595-613. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.38.3.595

Zucker, Lynne G. (1977). The Role of Institutionalization in Cultural Persistence. American Sociological Review, 42(5), 726-743. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2094862