Empathy in Social Entrepreneurship: Evidence from a Systematic Review with Structured Narrative Synthesis

AbstractBackground: Empathy is often treated as a personal resource that should support social entrepreneurship. Still, the literature uses “empathy” in non-equivalent ways, and many studies embed it inside intention models rather than measuring it as an independent construct. This review synthesizes the empirical evidence while keeping those operational differences explicit.Methods: We conducted a systematic review with structured narrative synthesis. The protocol was registered in Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). Scopus and PubMed were searched from inception up to January 2024 (English-language records). Quantitative studies were included if they assessed empathy and social entrepreneurship or closely related outcomes. Data were extracted into a standardized table, and empathy operationalization was coded as embedded, independent, or both. Outcomes were grouped as intention-focused versus broader endpoints. We used narrative synthesis because studies differed in measures, outcome definitions, and reporting, with many estimating indirect pathways in structural models. Methodological quality was appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for analytical cross-sectional studies.Results: Twenty-five reports contributed 26 study entries. Most studies were cross-sectional surveys and focused on social entrepreneurial intention. When empathy was embedded within intention models, its direct association with intention was often model-dependent, with feasibility and normative pathways playing a prominent role. Recurring mediators included social entrepreneurial self-efficacy and moral obligation, while perceived social support and creativity appeared in a smaller subset. Evidence beyond intention was limited and heterogeneous, spanning control and feasibility-related outcomes, nascent behavior, implementation, and performance-oriented indicators. Quality appraisal suggested that measurement and statistical methods were generally acceptable, although confounding control was often limited or incompletely specified.Conclusion: Empathy appears relevant to social entrepreneurship, but it does not behave as a uniform predictor across operationalizations and models. Future work would benefit from clearer measurement choices, stronger confound handling, designs that move beyond single-wave self-report data, and more behavioral and implementation-oriented outcomes.Keywords: empathy; social entrepreneurship; social entrepreneurial intention; social entrepreneurial self-efficacy; moral obligation; perceived social support; structured narrative synthesis; Theory of Planned Behavior