Social Innovation Initiatives Research Articles

Dynamic transnational inter-ecosystem framework for smart and inclusive age-friendly environments: The Transnational Local-Sphere Model

The demographic change calls for the creation of age-friendly environments that result from the collaboration between several fields. Previous initiatives fostering age-friendly environments often had less-than-desired impact or reach due to financial and bureaucratic constraints. Additionally, territory-specific standards and needs hinder the replication of good practices. Based on a mixed-methods approach combining a narrative review of knowledge models followed by expert consultation, we propose a framework to maximise the sustainability of Smart Healthy Age-friendly Environment (SHAFE) initiatives by connecting local ecosystems and stakeholders, including underrepresented entities, and thus promote sustainable business models, to ensure the replicability, scalability, and sustainability – the Transnational Local-sphere Model. This social innovation framework goes beyond previously established helix frameworks, by incorporating fresh ideas on democratic policy making, transnational spanning, and inter-ecosystem collaboration, as well as emphasising the role of institutions, stakeholders, networks, and principles. The collaboration and competition between the different stakeholders ensure a value-driven, cost-effective, and inclusive intervention, maximising impact. The Transnational Local-Sphere Model can also be applied in the development of other social innovation initiatives that benefit a usercentred multi-stakeholder inter-ecosystem approach.

Addressing Climate Change Through Social Innovation Initiatives

While social innovation has traditionally emphasised social sustainability, it also presents potential for the mitigation of climate change by influencing social practices. This study explores how social innovation initiatives address social practices to mitigate climate change. Our qualitative study in an affluent setting, a Swedish municipality with high emissions, led to the identification of four dimensions relevant for climate mitigation: SIIs’ social motives, inspiration of others, beneficiary participation, and use of artefacts. Social motives for climate relevant social ends focused on altering the meaning of practices while SIIs’ had social means focused on changing meaning, competences, and materials of emission-intensive practices.

Rural development as the propagation of regional ‘communities of values’: A case study of local discourses promoting social innovation and social sustainability

AbstractDiscourses on rural areas and their development concurrently encompass both negative narratives of them dying out and discussions on how to constitute future visions for a ‘living’, ‘good’ and ‘sustainable’ countryside to work towards. As a solution, ‘social innovation’ has been proposed to counter the economic, demographic and sociocultural challenges disadvantaged rural regions are facing. Accordingly, this article contributes to the growing literature on the dynamics of social innovation initiatives by investigating how rural areas and their communities are communicatively re‐constructed, as part of socio‐spatial processes emerging from the work of rural development initiatives, fostering potential social change towards more sustainable societies. Building on fieldwork from the rural Austrian region of Mühlviertel, it is shown how social innovation aiming at instigating positive territorial developments is linked to intertwined processes of the re‐figuration of social bonds and re‐figuration of space, which is centred around the propagation of regional ‘community of values’ founded on ideas about changing values and social sustainability.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Social Innovation Programming at Advancing Rural Development in the Context of Exogenous Shocks

In this paper, we design and deploy an experimental approach to evaluate the efficacy of a social innovation initiative implemented in rural communities situated in the highlands of Peru, which confronted the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the midst of its implementation. Using three rounds of information collected before, during, and after participation, we examine the efficacy of the social innovation economic development approach at increasing household livelihoods. We present robust, statistically significant improvements in household economic well-being, food security satisfaction, and community outlook for participating households compared to non-participating households following program engagement. The results presented in this study suggest that the social innovation program facilitated a notable restructuring of the portfolio of household income and livelihood activities towards more lucrative and value-added pursuits. This transition manifested in increased involvement in entrepreneurial ventures and specialized labor associated with both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors while distancing from traditional agricultural and livestock-related endeavors. The income gains stemming from self-employment activities and wage labor outweigh the losses incurred from reduced agricultural and livestock earnings. Furthermore, our analysis underscores the resilience of innovative income-generating pathways in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, outperforming traditional agrarian value chains. These findings highlight the efficacy of social innovation programming in facilitating economic development and also shed light on sustainable strategies for economic resilience amidst unforeseen challenges such as the recent global health crisis.

Doing Well by Doing Good Innovations: Outcomes of The "LENTERA Sukamoro" Community Development Program

PT Bukit Asam Dermaga Kertapati Unit (PTBA Derti) is a State-Owned Enterprise (BUMN) in the coal mining business. As a coal distribution firm, PT Bukit Asam Unit Dermaga Kertapati is required to practice Corporate Social Innovation (CSI) and environmental social responsibility in the area surrounding its activities. The PTBA Derti CSI program is carried out in Sukamoro Village under the name "LENTERA Sukamoro". It focuses on community development that is commensurate with the community's social, economic, and environmental situations. This study aims to investigate, from the viewpoint of program participants, the results of a corporate social innovation (CSI) initiative in community development. Data was gathered through surveys, questionnaires, and in-depth interviews with 15 LENTERA Sukamoro program participants, PT Bukit Asam Dermaga Kertapati, and local government heads and officials. The study discovered that the "LENTERA Sukamoro" program from PTBA Derti was able to solve a variety of difficulties in Sukamoro Village, including a large number of housewives who do not have jobs or engage in productive activities, poverty, a lack of skills, and unproductive land issues. The "LENTERA Sukamoro" program enables the community to enhance its skills and capacities, raise income and welfare, and gain access to renewable energy. This study adds to the limited literature on CSI in Indonesia by examining how commercial organizations in the country contribute to community development through CSI. This study's findings should be valuable to community development practitioners, CSI providers, and researchers.

Social Innovation and the Financial Risk of EMNCs - The Contingent Role of Institutional Legitimacy

This paper examines the influence of social innovation on financial risk of emerging economy multinational corporations (EMNCs). Traditionally, research has focussed on Western MNCs’ and their financial performance implications. However, the growing involvement of EMNCs in social innovation—albeit in environments characterized by institutional voids—and its effects on financial risk necessitate an in-depth examination. Drawing on stakeholder theory, we explored how EMNCs balance their social innovation initiatives with financial risks. To this end, we first examine how social innovation reduces the financial risk of EMNCs. Second, we examine the association between excessive social innovation and EMNCs’ financial risk. In addition, borrowing insights from institutional theory, we assess the role played by institutional legitimacy in this process, acknowledging institutional legitimacy’s potential to mitigate the financial risks associated with social innovation in emerging economies. We test our hypotheses based on data drawn from 90 EMNCs in 14 emerging economies, applying a panel regression model with robust standard errors and a rigorous robustness propensity score matching test. Our findings show that social innovation reduces EMNC financial risk, and challenge the assertions made regarding the potential negative implications of excessive social innovation on financial risk. Our results also demonstrate the intricate moderating effects of institutional legitimacy in balancing social innovation, excessive social innovation, and EMNC financial risk. Finally, we proffer critical implications for managers and policymakers in emerging economies.

A View on a PHP-Based Project for A Donation and Waste Food Management System

Food waste is a problem that affects everyone. People are impacted anywhere it is present, including in our homes, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, places of business, and even in transportation. With the help of this software, hotels can give leftover food to those in need while reducing food waste. With the help of this software, users may sign up, log in, see, add, and remove products from their carts, and then log out of the system. Additionally, this software contained a real-time database. Through this app, food donors may enter information about their donations, and NGO volunteers can see the photographs of the food that each donor has contributed. Food waste is a widespread issue in our culture. Management of food waste is essential since it may increase our sustainability both economically and environmentally. We have determined how mobile technology may be used to minimize food waste management, and we have developed an android mobile application that enables restaurants or individual users to share and donate their leftover food with those in need. We intended to complete this project in order to use an Android application to lessen food waste. The visitor may log in and input the kind, quantity, and location of food that is offered in this project. The agent is then sent a brief notice. The agent at that location may log in and get the donor's data after receiving the notice. The software allows the donor to create an account, and he may log in to add the location and food data anytime there is food waste. The agent is also capable of retrieving the data and holding an account. Once the information has been retrieved, the agent may go get food from the donor and provide it to the orphans or other needy people. Food redistribution is an incredibly effective social innovation initiative that addresses food poverty and waste. Because it has a distinct account for every user, the user's information is kept private

Solvers' participation in crowdsourcing initiatives for social innovation: Exploring interactions among motivational forces

We know that solvers self‐selecting in social innovation challenges come from diverse backgrounds including, among others, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and professionals from various industries. However, we are not aware of what motives actually bring such solvers to self‐select to address these challenges. This study aims at understanding how different kinds of motivations intervene and interact with the solvers' intention to participate considering the specific context of crowdsourcing for social innovation. Drawing on the self‐determination theory, we built a theoretical framework that hypothesizes how intrinsic, extrinsic, and prosocial motivations interact with one another and affect solvers' self‐selection process in social innovation initiatives. Empirically, to investigate the theoretical framework, a survey research design involving the use of questionnaires was adopted to obtain primary data from solvers engaged in crowdsourcing initiatives for social innovation to solve Covid‐19‐related problems in the HeroX platform. We found that prosocial motivations positively affect the solvers' self‐selection process. Moreover, our results highlight that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations differently moderate the relationship between prosocial motivations and intention to participate. The results of this study offer relevant contributions to previous crowdsourcing and organizational psychology literature and provide critical implications for managers designing and organizing crowdsourcing for social innovation challenges.

Social innovation initiatives of NGOs in a Hungarian disadvantaged area

The study examines social innovation endeavours initiated by non-profit organisations in the Abaúji region53. Addressing the challenges facing the region (emigration, ageing, unemployment and educational inequalities) requires the accurate identification of local needs and the involvement of the population in decision-making. One of the tools for these initiatives is social innovation and support for social innovation endeavours. The key actors in the social innovation process are non-profit organisations (NGOs), which see social innovation primarily as a mission. The aim of our study is to present social innovation solutions initiated by NGOs in the region and to explore the possibility of their adaptation as good practice. The study alsoidentifies the main sets of criteria that, in addition to providing a structured record of each case study, will help to make good practices comparable. Documentation against the identified criteria will support the process of adaptation, which is critical to the successful implementation of social innovation initiatives.

THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL INNOVATIONS AND THEIR ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIETY

The article is devoted to the study of the concept of social innovations and their essential role in the development of modern society. The author analyzes the key aspects of social innovations, defines their essence and main characteristics. The article highlights various areas of application of social innovations, ranging from social entrepreneurship to technological solutions that contribute to solving social problems. Special attention is paid to the impact of social innovations on social change and sustainable development. The authors present examples of successful implementation of social innovations in various countries, emphasizing their importance for the formation of a more equitable and efficient society. The scientific article makes a valuable contribution to understanding the role of social innovation in modern socio-economic dynamics and provides practical recommendations for the development and support of social innovation initiatives.

Together for the greater goods: legitimising social innovation in the pharmaceutical field

Social innovation initiatives in the pharmaceutical field seek alternative, collaborative ways to address problems with availability and affordability of medicines. However, these experimental initiatives require legitimacy. Formulating goals is a way of creating and contesting legitimacy, also for social innovation initiatives, yet has not been studied in this context. Based on document analysis (policy reports, news articles and websites) and semi-structured interviews, we investigate what form and role goal formulations take in constructing and contesting the legitimacy of two Dutch social innovation initiatives: one novel coverage arrangement for a rare disease drug and one new manufacturing process for a personalised cancer treatment. We find that actors formulate goals to manage consensus with powerful, independent governance bodies and with those who reserve their judgement concerning the initiative. They also manage differences, highlighting role differentiation within collaborations and emphasising contrasts with outsiders. These findings show the importance of professional identities and the experimental nature of social innovation initiatives. We conclude that formulating goals is used to probe for and attempt to ensure the longevity of social innovation. Working together in diverse partnerships for ‘the greater goods’ (plural) is thus essential for organising durable social innovation in the European pharmaceutical field .

Medidas de impacto social para a inovação social: Desafios e caminhos

ABSTRACT Purpose: How to evaluate the social impact of social innovation has emerged as an important question posed by academics, organizations, and policymakers in recent years. One reason for this is the increasing concern with the social impact of different types of organizations and social practices, particularly in response to a recognition of the urgency of developing more inclusive economies and societies. To find an answer to this question, this research seeks to investigate the state-of-the-art in terms of social innovation impact measurement, drawing on both scientific literature and practitioner literature. Originality/value: This research discusses the challenges posed by measuring the impact of social innovation initiatives and how these measurements may change the assessment process. The analysis finds that methodologies for measuring social innovation have mainly been undertaken in Europe, where these initiatives are largely addressed. Design/methodology/approach: This paper adopted a qualitative research approach based on the scoping review method. This method is widely used to identify emergent topics in scientific literature, aiming to identify implications for research and decision-making. The research was developed based on different steps to obtain information about the social impact measurement indicators and their overall contribution to the advancement of social innovation. Findings: The results also confirmed the lack of social innovation frameworks, methodologies, and tools capable of measuring the social impact of social innovations. Furthermore, a set of barriers in this field was identified, which can be used to channel better upcoming academic research on developing social impact indicators for social innovation.

Towards new geographies of cohesion in a context of growing inequalities: insights from two social innovation projects in Milan metropolitan area

ABSTRACT This contribution critically examines the possible interface between territorial cohesion and social innovation by investigating how two local social innovation initiatives in the Milan metropolitan area have tried to tackle existing territorial inequalities. The paper draws on the outcomes of the Horizon 2020 Project ‘COHSMO―Inequality, Urbanization and Territorial Cohesion: developing the European social model of economic growth and democratic capacity’ (2017–2021) and places emphasis on the ways in which social innovation can emerge in the public sector and be sustained by public action in connection with civil society to solve problems of socio-spatial inequalities in distressed urban neighborhoods. Findings show that social innovation in the two cases has been interpreted as a trigger for empowering socially vulnerable inhabitants and reconnecting them with existing welfare services. This has happened through a filter mechanism that allowed to create a soft space where institutional and third-sector actors could approach vulnerable individuals in informal settings, answer to their emerging social needs, and promote empowerment processes. The analysis highlighted a relationship of complementarity between social innovation and the welfare system due to the capacity of socially innovative actions to fill some gaps present in existing welfare spaces or in the market.

Enablers and impact of social innovation in higher education institutes: a futuristic perspective

Purpose Social innovation is a nascent field. Within research on social innovation, the context of higher education has largely been ignored. To better understand social innovation, it is important to explore factors that facilitate social innovation in universities’ context. There is little research on enablers of social innovation in universities and the impacts of social innovation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to understand the enablers of social innovation in the Saudi Arabian context. Moreover, the impacts of social innovation projects are also explored. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was used to carry out this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, and content analysis was performed. Findings Data revealed that institutional commitment, mission, active collaborations, curriculum, support, training, community university engagement offices, university social impact offices and reward and evaluation were among critical enablers. The impact of social innovation in terms of social, institutional, economic and community specific was also reported. Originality/value Research on the enablers and outcomes of social innovation in the higher education context is limited. This study adds to the innovation literature by investigating what processes and factors (enablers) can help universities to engage in social innovation initiatives and what are the outcomes (impact) of engaging in social innovation. Findings of the study have important policy implications.

Policy framework as a challenge and opportunity for social innovation initiatives in eco-tourism in Colombia

Colombia confronts a multitude of societal and environmental problems, which severely manifest in rural areas, leading to loss of biodiversity, reduced legal income opportunities, marginalization, poverty, etc. Alternatives that can voluntarily mobilize collective agency, such as social innovation (SI), have emerged as a means for addressing the challenges of rural areas due to the potential they proved to have in other countries to enhance outcomes on societal well-being. This study focuses on the current policy conditions (domains and instruments) for the development of SI in eco-tourism in Colombia, both those registered as legal entities or individuals or networks operating informally. A total amount of 25 policy documents from tourism, cohesion, rural and regional development, forest, environment, and innovation policies were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Our results show the slow introduction of SI concepts and the inoperability of instruments into the national policy framework. Formally recognised SI initiatives in eco-tourism bear strict requirements for operating in natural and protected areas with numerous administrative procedures. The SI is not addressed explicitly in most of the explored policies. Its significance and untapped potential are shadowed by other overarching terms such as “entrepreneurship”. Consequently, SI remains informal in practice. This context is challenging for the development of both formal SI initiatives in eco-tourism as well as for the formalization of the informal ones.

Kampung Kreasi, Waste Recycling-Based Social Tourism Program: Turning a Slum Area into a Tourist Destination

As a market leader for lubricant manufacturers in Indonesia, Pertamina Lubricants continues to increase company value while providing sustainable benefits and added value to stakeholders and the environment. The establishment of Kampung Kreasi is Pertamina Lubricants’ Corporate Social Innovation (CSI) initiative by turning Sidokumpul village, Gresik district into an ecotourism destination through waste management, small land utilization, cultural preservation, and capacity building for community groups. CSI is related to the company’s core business and competency that can be developed through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Moreover, CSI is creating shared value, and the benefits of the CSI program are perceived directly by both the targeted group and the company. The effectiveness of CSI is measured by the Social Return On Investment (SROI) method, intended to determine the outputs and outcomes perceived by various stakeholders and also determine the comparison (ratio) between investment and benefits quantitatively. SROI measurement for Kampung Kreasi Program was organized using an evaluative method by measuring the impact generated over the past 3 years through in-depth interviews with members of youth organizations, tourism awareness groups, family empowerment programs, the Sidokumpul village government, and beneficiary communities. The results of the SROI analysis show that the benefit value is IDR 932,305,501 compared to the investment value of IDR 175,399,800. In other words, every investment of IDR 1 in the Kampung Kreasi program can produce benefits of IDR 5.32 (SROI = 1: 5.32).

Pathways and Mechanisms for Catalyzing Social Impact through Orchestration: Insights from an Open Social Innovation Project

There is a rising interest in the literature on entrepreneurship in understanding how groups of entrepreneurs might work together to solve social problems. In this research, the researchers analyze how an open social innovation initiative brought together government agencies, people, and organized civil society to work together to solve several societal problems. By analyzing data collected on-site and in real-time during the project, they show how social impact orchestration may generate influence along four pathways: leading with the lead user, concentrating on the solution, focusing on the problem, and focusing on the ecosystem. They show how orchestration made it feasible to learn and scale, which in turn raised the potential for impact for all parties involved in each route. The findings of our research add to what is already known about impact entrepreneurship and the practice of organizing innovation for social good.

Digital literacies as policy catalysts of social innovation and socio-economic transformation: Interpretive analysis from Singapore and the UAE

<p>Even before the COVID-19 global pandemic, the world saw the adoption and proliferation of numerous digital tools and technologies, or a global digital transformation. This paved the way for digital inclusion, particularly through e-commerce and shared services platforms which helped to reduce barriers to entry and created abundant socio-economic opportunities across income groups. As a result, digital literacy becomes a vital aspect of modern life due to the rapid global shift toward this digital transformation. Numerous scholars have investigated the benefits of digital literacies since 1995. The primary objective of this paper is to investigate good practices and lessons learned on how digital literacy may serve as a policy instrument for social innovation and socio-economic transformations. The empirical approach is interpretive, through an understanding of digital literacy categorized into three primary pillars: (i) the evolution and foundational concepts of digital literacy, (ii) frameworks and measures of digital literacy, and (iii) the capacity and skills associated with digital literacy. The paper also examines how digital literacy capacity and skills shape social innovation initiatives in Singapore and the UAE, impacting the socio-economic transformation of individuals, families, and communities. Our interpretive approach from field observations and policy implementation, offers a multi-dimensional perspective on digital literacy research, and its socio-economic impact on people and communities. These insights can assist researchers new to this field to gain a more thorough understanding of digital literacy’s broad ecosystem and its extensive impact on communities and nations as a key driver of socio-economic change.</p>

Social Entrepreneurs, Market Dynamics, and Social Enterprise Innovation: An Empirical Study Based on the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

Social Entrepreneurs, Market Dynamics, and Social Enterprise Innovation: An Empirical Study Based on the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

The who, the what, and the how of social innovation in inner peripheries:A systematic literature review

This article is a systematic literature review on social innovation in inner peripheries. It investigates what actors (who), processes (how), and topics (what) emerge from the literature on SI in marginalized rural areas. The aim is to understand under what conditions social innovation can be interpreted as a resource in inner peripheries and, at the same time, if inner peripheries offer a fertile ground for social innovation to emerge and develop. A focus on the role of planning in social innovation initiatives is also provided with the objective to recognize whether and how the literature mentions it in supporting or hindering the emergence of social innovation in inner peripheries. Results from the literature review show that social innovation in inner peripheries is frequently promoted by social enterprises and public-private partnerships that work synergically with a wide array of public and private actors, within multi-level and multi-actor governance arenas where different scales, sectors, and actors are connected and combined. The topics covered by social innovation initiatives mainly refer to rural development, with a specific emphasis on farmland and forestry management. In this strain of literature, social innovation is often viewed as a vital component of rural development policies and a means to strengthen collaboration and social learning in lagging communities. Findings suggest that social innovation can be interpreted as a resource in inner peripheries when the effort of the public sector is channeled into multi-level ‘middle-ground’ spaces and positively combined with the external and internal input of actors, and sources of innovation. In the conclusion, we argue the need to advance a ‘context-sensitive’ conceptualization of social innovation able to tackle path-dependent dynamics and address the specific problems and challenges of inner peripheries, preventing the risk that unreflexive innovative initiatives ‘borrowed’ from urban areas exacerbate existing socio-spatial inequalities.