The fragmentation of social value measurement: a typology of competing logics

Анотація

Social value has become a central construct in corporate responsibility, social accounting, and impact evaluation, yet its measurement remains conceptually fragmented and methodologically inconsistent. This study aims to systematize existing approaches to social value measurement and to explain the underlying sources of fragmentation in the field. The research employs a structured descriptive review methodology, synthesizing peer-reviewed literature from social accounting, CSR, ESG reporting, and social impact measurement domains. Using thematic coding, measurement approaches are classified according to their underlying logic of value construction rather than technical form. This enables the identification of distinct paradigms and avoids conflating methods that rely on different conceptual assumptions. The analysis identifies four dominant approaches: monetization-based, indicator-based, stakeholder-perception-based, and narrative/qualitative. The findings demonstrate that these approaches do not measure the same phenomenon through different techniques but construct fundamentally different objects of evaluation. This explains persistent limitations in comparability, the proliferation of measurement frameworks, and the weak cumulative development of theory. The study further shows that each approach involves structural trade-offs between comparability and contextual validity, standardization and interpretive depth, and managerial usefulness and democratic accountability. The scientific novelty lies in reframing fragmentation as a structural condition rooted in epistemological divergence rather than a temporary methodological limitation. The article contributes by developing a typological framework that clarifies what each approach assumes, captures, and excludes, thereby advancing conceptual coherence in the field. The practical significance of the study is that it provides a basis for selecting measurement approaches aligned with specific evaluation purposes and stakeholder contexts. The results support a shift from instrument proliferation toward integrative and reflexive measurement architectures that ensure transparency of assumptions and improve the credibility of social value assessment in organizational and policy decision-making. Keywords: social value; social value measurement; social accounting; impact evaluation; stakeholder theory; ESG reporting; typology; CSR; accountability; value pluralism.

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