From Social Purpose to Sustainable Practice: Financial Inclusion as the Missing Link
List of Authors
.Muslimah Mohd Jamil, Jaya Kumar Shanmugam, Muthyaah Mohd Jamil
Keyword
Social Entrepreneurship; Financial Inclusion; Sustainable Organizations; Capability Approach; Triple Bottom Line (TBL)
Abstract
The growing global emphasis on sustainable development has underscored the necessity for innovative models that align social responsibility with long-term organizational resilience. Social entrepreneurship represents a transformative approach that utilizes entrepreneurial strategies to address systemic social and environmental challenges. However, its potential to achieve sustainability is often limited by resource constraints and structural barriers. This conceptual paper identifies financial inclusion as a mediating factor that strengthens the relationship between social entrepreneurship and sustainable organizational outcomes. By enabling access to financial services, enhancing financial literacy, and promoting community participation, financial inclusion enables social enterprises to progress beyond short-term impacts toward lasting institutional viability. This study outlines on the Capability Approach, Social Capital Theory, and the Triple Bottom Line framework to develop a theoretical model that explains how inclusive financial systems empower communities, mitigate vulnerabilities, and promote environmentally responsible practices. A narrative review methodology is employed to synthesize recent scholarly contributions from 2019 to 2025, identifying key themes that connect financial inclusion with poverty reduction, green innovation, social equity, and resilience building. The findings indicate that comprehensive financial mechanisms not only expand economic opportunities but also support sustainable practices by facilitating investments in renewable technologies and enhancing community trust. The proposed framework aims to integrate previously disparate strands of literature and offers insights for policymakers, development practitioners, and leaders in social enterprises who are designing targeted interventions. The analysis concludes that financial inclusion functions as a dynamic enabler that translates social entrepreneurial intent into sustainable outcomes, contributing to more equitable, resilient, and environmentally conscious organizations. Future research is recommended to empirically validate the framework across different contexts and to investigate the evolving role of digital financial technologies in supporting inclusive and sustainable development.