In this edited book, we provide foundational tenets of Gandhian perspective, and present examples of social organizations that are aiming to insulate themselves by adopting community and village-centered approaches to restructuring socially-embedded economic activities that align with Gandhian principles. These cases highlight the relevance of Gandhi's thoughts in the field of social entrepreneurship. We examine key principles such as Sarvodaya (the welfare of all), Antodaya (the upliftment of the weakest), self-sufficiency, self-reliance, Nai Talim (holistic education), and Trusteeship. We explore how social organizations implement these principles to promote resilience and well-being at the community level.
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed unsustainable practices in the world, including disrupted supply chains, contagious effects of integrated global economy that ignore the local self-reliance, and unsustainable internal displacement that make cities dependent on rural labor and rural population dependent on urban areas for jobs. These issues show that there are systemic problems with how our society and market are structured. The traditional way of development that focuses on profit maximization and unlimited wants has caused problems like inequality, resource depletion, and disproportionate wealth accumulation. Unlimited growth in a limited world has led us to social, economic, and ecological crises. However, degrowth, as an approach has been criticized for wanting to go back to pre-industrial times. In this context, Gandhi's ideas offer alternatives. Gandhi promotes moderation in how market activities are structured and how individual consumption practices are followed. This can help reduce the negative impact of economic activities on people and the planet, and move towards a more structured and inclusive economy.
About the Author: Babita Bhatt is a Senior Lecturer at the Australian National University. Her research on social and community enterprises, sharing economy organizations, and place-based communities, addressing societal challenges has been published in journals such as Organization Studies, Organization Science, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Business Venturing, and Journal of Business Ethics.
Israr Qureshi is a Professor at the Australian National University (ANU). He is the Director of ASCEND (Australian Social Cohesion-Exploring New Directions) Grand Challenge Project. Israr is currently involved in multiple research projects that investigate various social value creation through social intermediation, social entrepreneurship, and digital social innovation in transforming society.
Dhirendra Mani Shukla is an Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow. His research interests include social entrepreneurship, innovation, and inter-organizational relationships. His work has been published in reputed journals including the Journal of Business Venturing and Information and Organization among others.
Vinay Pillai is a Researcher with the Indian Institute of Management Udaipur. Passionate about sustainability at the grassroots, he is looking to explore how ICT solutions can be leveraged to bring out a positive change in the global south. His interests lie at the intersection of policy, technology, and institutions.
