Examining the Research Gap in Cooperative Economics and Social Enterprise Theory Applied to Nigerian Contexts

Social enterprise theory and cooperative economics are closely related intellectual traditions that have been increasingly synthesised in European and North American academic literature, but this synthesis has rarely been applied to the distinctive cooperative sector of Nigeria. This study examined the gap between cooperative economics theory and social enterprise frameworks as applied to Nigerian cooperative contexts. A critical theoretical review and survey methodology was adopted. The theoretical review systematically analysed 48 peer-reviewed publications at the intersection of cooperative economics and social enterprise theory from 2018 to 2024, evaluating their applicability to Nigerian cooperative characteristics including the role of the state, cultural collectivism, informality, and dual mandate of economic and social value creation. Expert opinion was gathered from 20 cooperative economics and social enterprise academics at Nigerian universities through structured questionnaires. Results showed that dominant cooperative economics models from Rochdale, Hansmann, and Borzaga do not adequately account for the institutional informality, collective cultural frameworks, and state-cooperative relations characteristic of Nigerian cooperatives. Social enterprise theories, particularly blended value and hybrid organisation frameworks, offer partially applicable perspectives but lack the collectivist ontology necessary for Nigerian contexts. The study identifies six theoretical gaps and proposes a Nigerian Cooperative Social Economy Framework integrating African communal values, institutional theory, and social enterprise perspectives. This framework constitutes an original conceptual contribution to cooperative economics theory for sub-Saharan African contexts.

Keywords: cooperative economics theory, social enterprise, Nigerian cooperatives, theoretical gap, social economy