Principles of ethical social enterprise
Proposed by Franco Papeschi & Tory Dunn:
(details and background here)
“1. Does the initiative help people use time to their best advantage?
2. Does it strengthen relationships between people?
3. Does it have a clear socially beneficial mission (or in the absence of clarity, a positive trajectory in a socially beneficial direction)?
4. Does it produce more for a community/society/environment than it takes, including balance of profit distribution v. social reinvestment?
5. Is the initiative and its outcome sustainable in the long term?
6. Are the workings transparent, including products, processes, consequences? Are there processes in place to protect and steward the socially beneficial intent and outcomes?
7. Is it at least neutral for people who don’t use it? (i.e. doesn’t permanently reduce resources for non-users)
8. Is the result of any accumulation process socially positive?
9. Does it reduce barriers to access? Does it make things easier? Is it accessible in the broad sense of the word?
10. Is there no unjustified and/or artificial barrier to entry or exit?
11. Does it respect human rights and the culture it is in? (Although these may be in opposition, in which case, we believe, human rights should prevail.) Does it value diversity?
12. Does it build and substantiate trust and collaboration?
13. Does it foster socially positive, sustainable use of the data/information it generates?
14. Does it provide/use a means of value exchange that is appropriate to the context?
Further elements to be considered include:
1. Does it leverage and / or facilitate local ownership and economic development?
2. Is it scalable?
3. Is it applicable in different contexts/sectors?
4. Is it culturally adaptable?
5. Does if follow best practice in user-centric design?”