Pathways to social innovation in Chilean firms: a configurational analysis through the lens of legitimacy theory

Cristian Geldes, Alejandro Flores, Cathy Rubiños (), Jorge Peña and Jorge Heredia
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Cristian Geldes: UAH - Universidad Alberto Hurtado
Alejandro Flores: UPACIFICO - Universidad Del Pacífico – Ecuador
Cathy Rubiños: Métis Lab EM Normandie - EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie = EM Normandie Business School
Jorge Peña: TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement
Jorge Heredia: UPACIFICO - Universidad Del Pacífico – Ecuador

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Abstract: Social innovation has become an essential strategy for addressing societal challenges and fostering sustainable development, especially in emerging economies that face institutional and resource-related constraints. This study analyzes social innovation through the lens of legitimacy theory, using data from 1,707 firms included in the Tenth National Innovation Survey of Chile, based on the Oslo Manual. Applying fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), the study identifies three pathways (configurations) associated with high social innovation: younger firms with strong human capital and customer engagement; resource-constrained firms collaborating with competitors to overcome financial limitations and achieve social impact; and supplier firms with substantial human capital leveraging government support. Overall, young firms in competitive markets, characterized by lower informality and fewer bureaucratic barriers, exhibit higher social innovation expenditure. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Keywords: Strategy tripod model; Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA); Legitimacy theory; Sustainable business innovation Impact-driven innovation; Emerging economy firms; Corporate social innovation; Innovation commerciale durable; Innovation axée sur l’impact Théorie de la légitimité; Modèle de stratégie en trépied; Entreprises de l’économie émergente; Innovation sociale des entreprises (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-07-01
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Published in Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 2025, pp.1-37. ⟨10.1080/08276331.2025.2514951⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05399034

DOI: 10.1080/08276331.2025.2514951

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