Timmons' Framework

In practice, the evaluation of the development effect of social entrepreneurship opportunities is also a challenging problem. Everything has two sides. The rise of social entrepreneurship may also produce different social and economic effects. The main subjects in the existing social entrepreneurship research are mostly non-profit or mixed organizations whose aim is to realize the social mission. These organizations focus on solving problems caused by social market failures and government function failures. They make up the market void and create social value while generating economic wealth, so most scholars are paying attention to the positive externalities of social entrepreneurship. From a personal perspective, social entrepreneurship has helped some members of society to achieve self-employment and solve the dilemma of their lives. Although there are many reasons for deciding the choice of starting a business, the adverse experience of individuals is more likely to encourage individuals to take the initiative to pursue social entrepreneurship. Some scholars have taken farmers as an example to in-depth study how the low-educated people solve their own employment problems through entrepreneurial innovation activities. It can be said that solving the problem of personal livelihood is still one of the drivers of social entrepreneurs. From a regional perspective, social entrepreneurship has solved some social problems and improved the social environment. Social entrepreneurs are members of society who develop new solutions to specific problems (such as persistent poverty) and meet the needs of special groups (such as the disabled and veterans). Under the condition that the social needs are difficult to be effectively met due to the empty system, individuals with strong social responsibility actively gather resources, carry out entrepreneurial activities and shoulder social missions. For example, environmental entrepreneurs take the initiative to make rational use of natural resources in a sustainable way and insist on encouraging other enterprises to choose green entrepreneurial activities. In addition, social entrepreneurship can also improve regional conflicts and promote economic prosperity and peace. From a social perspective, social entrepreneurship has promoted social change and changed the traditional concept of solidification. Social entrepreneurs are innovators and promoters in the process of sustainable social transformation. They effectively integrate resources, develop new business models, change existing institutional arrangements, and bring about positive social changes. For example, Datta and Gaily found that Indian women have strengthened their economic independence and increased their contribution to family income through entrepreneurial activities, thus winning a higher voice in family status. Simultaneously, it has gradually improved the recognition and respect for women in the entire Indian society. It can be seen that in the process of solving lasting social problems, social entrepreneurship has brought about new systems related to economic, cultural and other environments and created social values. Through the implementation of commercial activities, innovative products or services are provided to drive economic development, creating economic values.

Some scholars are also unique in that they believe that even non-profit activities could bring negative externalities. They think that social entrepreneurship does fill the social problems that the government departments have not properly solved and meet the social service demand remaining from market failure. But they question that social enterprises violates the established boundaries between commercial organizations and charitable organizations, not only facing the challenge of establishing legitimacy, but also further aggravating the government's incompetence and the failure of market function. In addition, some scholars also suggest that the rise of social entrepreneurship would compete with commercial entrepreneurship for limited social resources and form market competition. On the one hand, like commercial entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship requires talents with management skills and entrepreneurial funds that support entrepreneurial activities. Therefore, there is a contradiction between resource competition and mutual restraint. On the other hand, compared with commercial entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship is easier to obtain government support and special preferential policies, thus inhibiting the development of commercial entrepreneurship and the rapid rise of the economy.

In general, the advantages of social entrepreneurship outweigh its disadvantages due to the unique attributes of entrepreneurial intention. Most social organizations have dual identities, both altruistic social attributes and utilitarian entrepreneurial identities. Commercial activities carried out by social organizations bring about innovations in products and services, which can provide impetus for the development of regional economy. Moreover, positive social changes triggered by social entrepreneurship can also improve the institutional environment for business entrepreneurship. Even though social entrepreneurship may partly lead to negative externalities such as government departments' lack of initiative, it is still a social innovation movement with more advantages than disadvantages in the long run.