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The sustainability of social enterprises in Nairobi, Kenya: A micro-level agency focus on metacognitive awareness

Author

Listed:
  • Mwihaki Maina, Susan

    (Wits Business School, University of Witwatersrand)

  • Urban, Boris

    (Wits Business School, University of Witwatersrand)

Abstract

Recent research suggests that sustainability is closely aligned with social enterprises, which, as mission-driven ventures, create systemic change and deliver sustainable solutions to local communities. While the sustainability literature is primarily concerned with large-scale change, micro-level agency is often neglected. This article addresses this gap by assigning agency to social entrepreneurs through a focus on their metacognition. The study was conducted in Kenya, where primary data were collected and analyzed statistically. The results reveal that social entrepreneurs’ metacognitive experiences positively influence the sustainability of their enterprises. This finding supports the notion that social entrepreneurs’ unique experiences, emotions, and intuitions enable them to make effective decisions that ensure sustainable outcomes. The practical implications of these findings are relevant to a range of stakeholders in the social economy, highlighting the need to foster a sustainability-oriented mindset among social entrepreneurs while also developing their metacognitive capacities. This study makes a novel contribution to the literature as one of the first to empirically investigate the influence of metacognition from a social enterprise and sustainability perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Mwihaki Maina, Susan & Urban, Boris, 2026. "The sustainability of social enterprises in Nairobi, Kenya: A micro-level agency focus on metacognitive awareness," Small Business International Review, Asociación Española de Contabilidad y Administración de Empresas - AECA, vol. 10(1), pages 778-778, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aaz:sbir01:v:10:y:2026:i:1:p:e778
    DOI: 10.26784/sbir/53d9c397
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kumudu Jayawardhana & Imali Fernando & Janaka Siyambalapitiya, 2022. "Sustainability in Social Enterprise Research: A Systematic Literature Review," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(3), pages 21582440221, September.
    2. Bob Bastian & Antonella Zucchella, 2022. "Entrepreneurial metacognition: a study on nascent entrepreneurs," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 1775-1805, December.
    3. Sokeibelemaye Nwauche & Frederik Claeyé, 2024. "Institutional Voids: An Impediment to Social Enterprises in the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in South Africa," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(3), pages 1088-1110, September.
    4. Jun Han & Sonal Shah, 2020. "The Ecosystem of Scaling Social Impact: A New Theoretical Framework and Two Case Studies," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(2), pages 215-239, May.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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