Social value creation and innovation in Hungary – social entrepreneurship focusing on disadvantaged children and young people

Purpose This paper aims to enhance the understanding of how organizations in the Hungarian social economy that focus on disadvantaged children and young people engage in social value creation (SVC) and social innovation (SI). Design/methodology/approach Examining six primary qualitative case studies of citizen-led social economy organizations targeting disadvantaged children and young people, the research focuses on the main objectives, activities and operational characteristics of the entities, as well as the role of the institutional environment in enabling or constraining SVC and SI. Findings According to the findings, the analysed organizations engage in social value creation and innovation at the micro-level by providing comprehensive, person-centred, community-based, skill-focused, secure and flexible solutions to their primary target groups. However, their activities are constrained by organizational and institutional shortcomings and have little impact on the public welfare system. Thus, these valuable and innovative activities remain limited and isolated attempts that do not advance systemic change. Originality/value Improving the situation of disadvantaged children and young people has always been a key focus for organizations in the social economy. However, their roles in this area have received little research so far, a gap this paper aims to address.