Entrepreneurial philanthropy: theoretical antecedents and empirial analysis of economic, social, human,cultural and symbolic capitals

Philanthropy is emerging as a key activity of wealthy entrepreneurs. Motivated by the opportunity and capacity to support economic and social regeneration, anecdotal evidence and emerging research suggests that successful, high net worth entrepreneur s are becoming significant players in the global arena of philanthropy (Bishop and Green, 2008; Schervish, 2008). Considerations of entrepreneurial philanthropy are however largely absent from the entrepreneurial discourse. The objectives of this paper are to consider the antecedents of contemporary UK entrepreneurial philanthropy and propose theoretical perspectives relevant to developing an informed understanding of contemporary entrepreneurial philanthropy. A final objective is to present an analysis of the entrepreneurial capital of wealthy entrepreneurs involved in philanthropy and to consider the role of such capital in entrepreneurial philanthropy.