Rural social entrepreneurship in emerging economies: Auto-ethnographic research from Sabah, Malaysia

Bowen, Robert ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8492-2701 2025. Rural social entrepreneurship in emerging economies: Auto-ethnographic research from Sabah, Malaysia. De Gruyter Handbook of Rural Entrepreneurship in Developing Economies, Berlin: De Gruyter, pp. 201-216. (10.1515/9783110755077-011)

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Abstract

This paper aims to investigate implications of social entrepreneurship in rural settings in emerging economies, presenting a case study of an agricultural business in Sabah, Malaysia. The chapter aims to contribute to knowledge on how social entrepreneurship can be achieved in rural areas within emerging economies, the implications on the wider community, and the policies needed to ensure that social entrepreneurship can make an effective contribution to the rural area. While social entrepreneurship is less prominent in emerging economies due to a possible conflict with economic growth, it is developing in Malaysia, where it has been part of Government policy since 2013, notably the creation of the Social Entrepreneurship Unit within the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC). The chapter is based on a case study of an agricultural business located in rural Sabah, Malaysia drawing on auto-ethnographic observations of the researcher of the case study business over the period of a week. Findings point to examples of good practice from the case study in seeking to undertake sustainable methods in agriculture. This led to efficient business practice and helped the business achieve sustained growth. The optimised methods of farming underline lessons that could be applied to agriculture in different settings, but point to the opportunities for rural businesses in emerging economies to undertake social entrepreneurship.

Item Type:	Book Section
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Business (Including Economics)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Publisher:	De Gruyter
ISBN:	978-3-11-075476-6
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 August 2026
Last Modified:	12 Aug 2026 08:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188913

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