International social ventures' resource mobilisation in Sub-Saharan Africa: a case study on effectual networking and knowledge mobilisation

Sub-Saharan Africa is associated with a variety of societal challenges that form the basis for social entrepreneurship opportunities. Academic attention is increasingly being directed towards international social ventures that often are located in the Western part of the world but address societal challenges in developing countries. Prior literature has highlighted the importance of mobilising local resources, such as knowledge and human capital, in the contexts for which solutions to challenges are provided. However, the context of Sub-Saharan Africa is often characterised by resource scarcity and informal social structures that are difficult for outsiders to access. The aim of this study is to explore the socio-spatial dynamics of international social ventures' resource mobilisation in high-distance contexts. For this purpose, effectuation theory serves as a theoretical framework, focusing on resource mobilisation through effectual networks. A multiple case study of Danish-based social ventures internationalising into Sub-Saharan Africa provides the foundation for developing contextualised insights into effectuation theory. The findings demonstrate the importance of international social ventures' proximal interactions with their effectual networks in the contexts in which they address social problems.