Participatory model of social entrepreneurship development as a determinant of veterans’ and their family members’ reintegration: theoretical framework

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to state the theoretical framework for the formation of a participatory model of social entrepreneurship development as a tool for the reintegration of military personnel, veterans and their family members, based on the identified views of veterans and their family members regarding the role of certain institutions of society in the development processes of social entrepreneurship. Methodology. The research is based on the results of a survey with blocks of questions aimed at studying certain aspects of the participatory approach to the development of social entrepreneurship: the state, hromada, business, education, as well as the specifics of involving veterans and their families in these processes. The study sample included people with the status of combatants, war veterans, and their family members who were participants in the Ukraine- Norway project "Retraining and social adaptation of military personnel and their family members in Ukraine", which was implemented at the Chernihiv Polytechnic National University in 2016-2022. The results of the survey showed that the expectations of veterans and their family members from the state regarding the development of social entrepreneurship are: the establishment of "clear rules of the game" – not only the development and implementation of relevant legislation, but also the formation of transparent and detailed procedures for starting a social enterprise and its development; the development and implementation of programmes for the social reintegration of veterans into civilian life through support for the creation of social enterprises (financial support, preferential taxation). In terms of the role of business in supporting the return of veterans to civilian life through the opening of social enterprises, respondents see it mainly as providing financial support to those social enterprises set up by veterans and their family members. The hromada, as the embodiment of the public sector, appears in the perceptions of veterans and their family members as a centre for social support, for finding ways to protect their rights, and for finding resources to meet their needs (including employment or starting their own business). The opinion of the interviewed veterans and their family members regarding the involvement of education in supporting the development of social entrepreneurship can be summarised as follows: the involvement of experts in the development of effective strategies for the development of both social entrepreneurship in the interest of veterans and education from it; the development of short-term social entrepreneurship training programmes (nonformal education courses) involving business, hromada and government representatives. Practical implications. The revealed results could be used for further scientific and practical research: development of directions of the programme of social and psychological support for reintegration of military personnel, veterans of ATO/UFO and their family members with their active involvement in social entrepreneurship. Value / Originality. The developed theoretical framework for the formation of a participatory model for the development of social entrepreneurship as a tool for the reintegration of military personnel, veterans and their family members, based on the identified views of veterans and their family members regarding the role of certain institutions of society in the development processes of social entrepreneurship, points to further methodological and applied research: the development of a set of recommendations for the practical implementation of the proposed model at different taxonomic levels.