Sport and social entrepreneurship in the base-of-the-pyramid: The institutional work of refugees and a refugee-led organization in Uganda

ABSTRACT Social entrepreneurship has garnered increased attention from scholars in a number of disciplines, especially international development and to a growing degree, sport management. Responding to recent calls within institutional theory and sport management, in this study, the lens of institutional work is employed to explore how a refugee-led organization in Uganda and its members utilize sport-related social entrepreneurship to create, maintain, and disrupt institutions. Data analysis revealed three overarching themes related to the purposeful, intentional work of actors, including: the use of sport microfinance savings groups to fill institutional voids; social entrepreneurship work by refugees to build social and economic value; and experimentation work to disrupt gender norms. Findings underscore the way in which both organizations and individuals engage in sport-related social entrepreneurial activities to create, maintain, and contest interrelated institutions, in particular institutionalized poverty and gender. Discussion is presented which expands theoretical and practical knowledge on the institutional work and practices of individuals and organizations acting innovatively to contest institutional arrangements and the poverty of refugees. HIGHLIGHTS Entrepreneurship is claimed to contribute to poverty alleviation in base-of-the-pyramid markets. Limited research has investigated the institutional work of social entrepreneurship. Sport and social entrepreneurship combine to foster institutional work by refugees. Institutional work by refugees both challenges and maintains institutional arrangements.