Abstract
Social entrepreneurship research and practice have long emphasised its potential in precipitating system change, yet this research has remained fragmented and focused on isolated levels of analysis. In this conceptual study, we develop a novel, integrative framework by applying the Multi-Level Perspective theory to social entrepreneurship research, using microfinance as an illustrative case. In doing so, we theorise innovations in social entrepreneurship as multi-level, multi-actor processes through which social entrepreneurship unfolds. Specifically, our framework privileges a systemic view by emphasising the alignment of supportive and opposing forces across levels and among actors, which together determine the pathways of system change.