Sociocultural and Institutional Features of Social Entrepreneurship in the Perceptions of Student Youth

This article examines the sociocultural and institutional characteristics of social entrepreneurship. An empirical study among students at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics (RUE) created a social profile of social entrepreneurs and identified key motivational factors, barriers, and prospects for youth participation in social entrepreneurship. Interest in social entrepreneurship exists among Moscow youth, but it has not yet fully developed into a sustainable life strategy. Important motivations for participating in such initiatives include a desire to help society, personal fulfillment, and the opportunity to establish useful contacts. The main barriers to youth participation in social entrepreneurship are institutional and resource factors. Youth initiatives exist in a “resource vacuum”, where a lack of external support is compounded by internal limitations of human and financial capital.