Arjan van Dorsselaer is a doctoral researcher at the Utrecht University School of Economics (USE) and the School of Governance (USG). His research focuses on the microfoundations of social entrepreneurial ecosystems, with particular attention to how community involvement, governance arrangements, and capital mobilization shape social impact scaling and civic wealth creation. He examines how social enterprises interact with local communities and support actors, how different scaling pathways develop, and how these processes unfold especially in rural and community-based contexts.

Arjan applies mixed methods (including fieldwork, surveys, QCA and qualitative interviews) to understand how local resources, social capital, and institutional conditions influence the development and impact of social enterprises and their environment. His research is part of the SCENTISS Research project, an initiative for Boosting Social and Community-driven Entrepreneurship for the Transition to an Inclusive and Sustainable Society (see scentiss.nl). 

Arjan graduated cum laude from Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) with a Master's degree (MSc) in Global Business & Sustainability (2021), and also holds a Master's degree (MSc) in Urban Governance from Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) (2022). Prior to following these Master's, he studied Liberal Arts & Sciences at University College Roosevelt, where he majored in Economics, Human Geography and Statistics (2020).

Contact: a.vandorsselaer@uu.nl.