Social Innovation Theory Research Articles

A Study on Cultural Tourism Development in Historic Districts from the Viewpoint of Social Innovation

The rapid rise of the cultural tourism industry has benefited from the strategic promotion of the integration of culture and tourism, a process that plays an indispensable and important role in enhancing the comprehensive competitiveness of the local economy, the cultural industry and the image of the city. The core of the charm of the historic district lies in the living inheritance and presentation of culture, which not only meets the aesthetic needs of the modern society, but is also closely related to the profound humanistic and historical development of the historic district. This study takes Taipei Dadaocheng Dihua Street as the main research object, adopts literature exploration and field observation method to conduct the study, and employs graphical inductive analysis to discover the humanistic landscape of Dihua Street in which the old and the new are intertwined. And using the social innovation theory as the theoretical support, it discusses in depth the innovative development direction of the historical district from the point of view of cultural and tourism integration.

CROWD ECONOMY AS A SOCIAL WELFARE CATALYST: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

In the context of a post-industrial economy and global socio-economic challenges, the crowd economy plays a crucial role in shaping new approaches to social welfare. The relevance of this topic lies in the need to understand how digital technologies and collaborative initiatives can contribute to a fairer distribution of resources and improve the quality of life of disadvantaged groups. The subject of the study is the crowd economy and its various forms, including crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, collaborative consumption, open innovation, etc., with a focus on their impact on social welfare and living standards in society. The aim is to analyse the mechanisms and forms of the crowd economy and to assess its impact on social welfare, taking into account the opportunities and challenges it presents to contemporary society. Methodology. The research takes an integrated approach, incorporating theories of political economy and social innovation. The methodological framework includes a review of academic literature and case studies to synthesise researchers' findings on different forms of crowd economy. The types of crowd economy studied include popular forms such as crowdfunding, crowdinvesting, crowdsourcing, crowdstaffing, resource sharing, open innovation and decentralised production, among others. Main reasons. Empirical evidence confirms that the crowd economy offers new opportunities to improve the effectiveness of social initiatives, ensure the availability and rational use of resources, stimulate citizen participation and volunteering, and improve living conditions. However, it also poses regulatory challenges and raises concerns about participants' rights, unequal access to digital platforms and limited resources. A balanced approach is therefore essential to integrate crowd economy practices into the broader context of socio-economic development. Conclusion. The crowd economy is driving contemporary economic development and offers an alternative way to address economic and social inequality. However, it is crucial to take pragmatic steps to create national policies and legislative programmes that encourage and protect its participants. By highlighting the potential of the crowd sector to improve social welfare, particularly in countries with unstable economies, the study underscores the importance of a holistic approach that includes robust legal regulation and public awareness.

Can universities catalyze social innovation to support their own rapid decarbonization? Assessment of community and governance readiness at the University of California

Universities aspire to lead on sustainable energy transitions, yet progress toward reducing their own emissions has been challenging. We assessed barriers and opportunities for engagement of University of California (UC) campus communities in stimulating more deliberate and rapid campus energy transformation, and our findings highlight the complexity of the socio-technical and governance systems that limit potential for transformative change for decarbonization. Through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and content analysis, we found strong interest among students, faculty, and staff in advancing decarbonization. We found a preference for local and on-campus solutions such as energy efficiency, behavioral change, renewable-energy production, and electrification, and much less support for market offsets and non-local investments. We also found that students and faculty had limited knowledge and sense of agency regarding campus-based decarbonization programs and options, which is consistent with the limited availability of data and information about these programs beyond the few who are directly involved. Weaving our findings with insights from social-innovation theory, we propose an action research agenda that conceives of university operations and governance systems as loci for socio-technical energy transition experiments. In alignment with higher education's long-standing commitments to catalyzing social innovation, opening university energy operations and governance to inclusive, community-led collaborative experimentation has strong potential to create the conditions necessary to produce the social innovation so desperately needed for energy system transformation within universities and beyond.

Academic contributions to the development of evidence and policy systems: an EPPI Centre collective autoethnography

BackgroundEvidence for policy systems emerging around the world combine the fields of research synthesis, evidence-informed policy and public engagement with research. We conducted this retrospective collective autoethnography to understand the role of academics in developing such systems.MethodsWe constructed a timeline of EPPI Centre work and associated events since 1990. We employed: Transition Theory to reveal emerging and influential innovations; and Transformative Social Innovation theory to track their increasing depth, reach and embeddedness in research and policy organisations.FindingsThe EPPI Centre, alongside other small research units, collaborated with national and international organisations at the research-policy interface to incubate, spread and embed new ways of working with evidence and policy. Sustainable change arising from research-policy interactions was less about uptake and embedding of innovations, but more about co-developing and tailoring innovations with organisations to suit their missions and structures for creating new knowledge or using knowledge for decisions. Both spreading and embedding innovation relied on mutual learning that both accommodated and challenged established assumptions and values of collaborating organisations as they adapted to closer ways of working. The incubation, spread and embedding of innovations have been iterative, with new ways of working inspiring further innovation as they spread and embedded. Institutionalising evidence for policy required change in both institutions generating evidence and institutions developing policy.ConclusionsKey mechanisms for academic contributions to advancing evidence for policy were: contract research focusing attention at the research-policy interface; a willingness to work in unfamiliar fields; inclusive ways of working to move from conflict to consensus; and incentives and opportunities for reflection and consolidating learning.

Conserving the Sacred: Socially Innovative Efforts in the Loita Enaimina Enkiyio Forest in Kenya

Indigenous Communities residing inside or next to autochthonal forests conserved them through governance frameworks that invoked traditional sacral law and reverence for their resource commons. More recently, however, the link between communities and forest conservation has been mired by dynamics of dispossession and displacement. Through a qualitative case study approach, using key informant interviews, transect walks, focus groups, and interviews, the researchers explore the conservation dynamics in Loita, in the South of Kenya, specifically looking at the sacred Enaimina Enkiyio forest. The study evaluated how the Loita community has challenged two state initiatives predicating conservation efforts and mobilised the sacred to conserve their resource commons. It combines a social-ecological approach with social innovation theory, spiritual geography, cultural studies and literature on indigenous knowledge systems, looking at, among others, sacred values attributed to places, nature–culture relationships, and value and belief systems and rituals. The findings point to the embeddedness of the forest resource in the way of life of the Loita Maasai and the appropriation of the ritual/sacred element as a framework to negotiate and mediate access, use, and conservation outcomes. The Loita community is grappling with and responding to the pressures exerted by various forces on the Loita Enaimina Enkiyio in socially innovative ways, as exemplified in the conservation efforts by the Ilkimpa Community Conservation Association (ICCA). It leverages aspects of the sacred in negotiating its claims over the Enaimina Enkiyio forest, showing that community-driven initiatives present alternative approaches capable of maintaining the connection between communities and their resource commons by integrating the sacred in this connection.

Theorizing learning circles – a Nordic tradition revitalized in times of social innovation imperatives

ABSTRACT Learning circles has a long tradition in the Nordic countries as a model for adult non-formal education, but has gained little scholarly attention and is thus sparsely theorised. The purpose of this article is to discuss the revitalisation of learning circles as highly relevant in times of what we term ‘social innovation imperatives’. To illustrate this, we report from two Nordic learning circles in which we were involved as evaluators. We provide an overview of the Nordic tradition of learning in ‘circles’ and draw on social innovation literatures to sketch a framework for theorising learning circles, comprising three aspects of the ‘social’ in social innovation: social ends, social means and capacity building. Despite the increasing popularity, there is still limited knowledge about social innovation in practice. The Nordic tradition of learning circles provides a practice-based reply to how social innovation can be facilitated, and vice versa; social innovation theory provides input for theorising learning circles. As such, this paper’s originality lies in allowing learning circles (as a practice) and social innovation (as the theory) to cross-pollinate.

Resale as sustainable social innovation: understanding shifts in consumer decision-making and shopping orientations for high-end secondhand clothing

Purpose The purpose of this study is to draw from sustainable social innovation theory and the Consumer styles inventory (CSI) instrument to examine secondhand clothing consumption habits for Russia. The secondhand market is the logical outcome of efforts to adopt resale as a facet of sustainable social innovation, with which to drive sustainable decision-making and socially responsible marketing in the secondhand high-end clothing market. Resale represents the cornerstone of business model innovation (BMi) for the retail sector, offering substantial opportunities for retailers who understand changes in consumption behaviour. More cost-effective and arguably greener, the sale of secondhand clothing is expected to be double the volume of fast fashion by 2030 but it remains an understudied field of research in the literature relating to the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses are developed from the existing literature. Survey methodology is used to collect data from 250 Russian consumers in the city of Petersburg. The objective is to test the veracity of CSI shopper orientations, focusing on nascent motivations for high-end branded secondhand clothing, to examine sustainable social innovation and resale in an emerging market. Findings Four new shopping orientations are identified. Based on the empirical data, the authors suggest that five (out of the original eight CSI shopping orientations) are of internal statistical relevance, and that our new orientations are relevant for not only this market, but for neighbouring Eastern European countries too. The findings reflect postmodern evolution in behavioural motivations for Russian consumers, that can inform retail strategy in terms of BMi consumer for harnessing opportunities offered by sustainable social innovation and resale. Originality/value Whilst the CSI has been widely used, research for Eastern Europe is limited. Understanding the shopping orientations for sustainable alternatives to newly produced clothing has theoretical and practical implications for improving circularity, post-war entry strategies and countries facing economic downturn. This study contributes novel insights by examining consumer decision-making and shopping orientations in an emerging market.

How do grand challenges determine, drive and influence the innovation efforts of for‐profit firms? A multidimensional analysis

AbstractWhile raising concerns, the recent proliferation of grand challenges has sparked interest in the role played by innovation in causing them, and in how the attempts made to fix them may cause even greater challenges that present themselves down the line. This article provides an analysis of the bibliographic metadata, published between 2002 and 2020, focusing explicitly on the private‐for‐profit sector. By identifying common themes from 66 documents, a framework highlighting the shared concerns and research trajectories was derived. Our results are illustrated and discussed along 11 research themes. We contribute theoretically by identifying the innovation efforts of for‐profit firms that directly relate to grand challenges, through two cases of carbon capture and storage and deep‐sea mining. We conclude that a more holistic understanding of innovation and its many possible consequences needs to be developed. We highlight the limitations of perspectives that do not always take full account of the potential divergence of interests between stakeholders, and, how fuller input by a greater cross‐section of stakeholders may help identify any negative effects of innovations at an earlier stage. Informed by recent extensions of social innovation theory, we explore the potential for synthesis around a pragmatic understanding of institutions, stakeholders, and the nature and quality of ties that bind them.

GRASSROOTS ECO-SOCIAL INNOVATIONS DRIVING INCLUSIVE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

The paper discusses research results on waste governance and circular economy, conducted with waste picker cooperatives in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil. Two cases have been selected, from a pool of 21 waste picker organizations, to video document their grassroots eco-social innovations that have improved local waste management and the lives of the cooperative members. The videos support knowledge sharing with key actors in waste governance and the circular economy. Social grassroots innovation theory focuses on livelihood opportunities beyond the formal labour market, pursuing social inclusion by creating meaningful work for individuals who were considered left out and in vulnerable situations. Transitioning to sustainability necessarily goes beyond socio-technical innovations but rather integrates eco-social perspectives. After first introducing grassroots innovation theory and the concept of eco-social innovations the paper describes the empirical frame and presents two cases where organized waste pickers were successful in operationalizing innovations that address the circular economy and contribute to sustainability transitions. Key findings highlighted are cooperative governance, long-term partnership building, improved productivity and increased income.

Exploring the Factors of Online Social Networks (OSNs) on Individual Investors’ Capital Market Investment Decision: An Integrated Approach

Online social networks (OSNs) are a terrifically emerging platform for information dissemination around the world. Like other settings, acceptance and adoption of OSNs among the individual capital market investors are extensive. The study developed a conceptual model for behavioural finance integrating a technology acceptance model (TAM) and valence framework from the information systems and marketing disciplines, respectively. The integrated model added some persuasive constructs from social capital and diffusion innovation theory with a view to explore the key factors swaying investors’ intention to adopt and use the OSN’s services. By using an online and offline structured questionnaire, 510 data were collected from individual capital market investors in Bangladesh. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used for data analysis. The study determined that the proposed integrated model with additional constructs outperformed other models. Perceived usefulness (PU), perceived enjoyment (PE), trust and personal innovativeness in IT (PIIT) had a substantial sway on the investor’s intention to use OSNs. Hedonic value is more robust predictor of intention to use OSNs than utilitarian value. Intention to use properly mediated the relationships and had strong significant impact on investor’s investment decision. But perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived risk had no direct significant effect on intention to use. PEOU had significant impact on intention to use through PU and PE. Gender moderated the relationships of different constructs with the intention to use OSNs for investment decisions in the capital market. It contributes knowledge by including the integration of different models in stock market perspectives and the inclusion of technological aspect in the behavioural finance literature. The findings of the study will also succor different firms and regulatory authorities to adopt OSNs as an information dissemination platform.

Resisting urban neoliberalism through social innovation

Centri sociali have been a common social, political, and spatial phenomenon in Italian cities since the 1970s. Since then, they emerged as active, youth-oriented places of left-wing and radical activism often operating at the margins of the urban fabric and in conflict with local institutions. In addition to political action, Centri Sociali play a social and cultural role in cities as spaces of leisure, social aggregation, and mutual support. This paper investigates how these groups locate themselves in an increasingly neoliberal urban environment by exploring their goals, the role they play in the wider communities, the issues they wish to address, and the strategies they mobilise. After presenting an overview of the concept and history of Italian Centri Sociali, the theoretical concept of urban neoliberalism is used to set the scene in which such groups are currently active and to explain the nature of the issues and challenges they aim to tackle. Further, the actions and strategies used by Centri Sociali are analysed through the lenses of Social Innovation Theory. This paper aims to understand how social innovation is used by Centri Sociali to create alternative urban spaces outside of neoliberal and capitalistic dynamics. It does so by using secondary data retrieved through literature review and through primary data collected via semi-structured interviews with 15 representatives from various Centri Sociali around Italy.

The Emergence of Innovation Capability During Firms’ Early Stage: Cases from Indonesian Creative Social Enterprise

The article is based on a literature review and empirical analysis of three creative social enterprises that have managed to build their innovation capability and have received numerous international awards for their sustainable impacts. The purpose of this article is to investigate how the "innovation capability perspective" of strategic management theory can be combined with "social innovation theory." By combining both perspectives, we propose a new way to understand and explain the emergence of innovation capability during the early stages of creative social enterprises, which neither "innovation capability" nor "social innovation perspective" can do on their own. The research used a qualitative exploratory study design with multiple case studies. In-depth interviews and literature studies were the data collection methods used in the study. Based on the reccurance patterns in the literature review, we propose creativity, leadership, strategy, knowledge management, and collaboration as determinant factors of innovation capability that are deeply needed for CSEs in their early stage. Through the results of in-depth interviews with 6 top management leaders in the creative social enterprises, it was possible to gain more descriptions that enriched the five determinant factors. We conclude that CSEs' innovation capability can emerge during the early stage if they have the motivation to be creative despite resources limitation, the presence of facilitating leaders supported by local champions, the alignment of business, technology, and social innovation strategy, the use of locality as a strategic asset in knowledge management, and the alignment of goals and expectations for fruitful collaboration. The study contributes to a better understanding of how innovation capability emerges during the early stages of creative social enterprises by combining both strategic management and social innovation theory.

Electronic and Social Media Use among Secondary Students in Kenya

In the last decade, we have witnessed a sharp increase in the availability and use of electronic devices. Due to this, electronic devices have become an integral part of adolescent life with reports indicating ownership of at least one electronic media by students. There is increasing concern about the negative effects of excessive use of various electronic media by students but the monitoring of these behaviors is globally low. This necessitated the need for this study which investigated on usage of electronic and social media among students, and perceived influence of electronic media on students’ social behaviour. The study was guided by two objectives: To establish student electronic ownership and activities when using internet and to determine influence of electronic and social media on students’ social behaviour. The study is anchored on two theories: Social influence theory and the social innovation theory. Descriptive survey design was employed with a sample of 359 students. Data was obtained using a questionnaire. Quantitative data was analyzed by use descriptive statistics. Stratified and random sampling procedures were used to select participants. The study established that students frequently connected to the internet; students concentrated on searching sexual images and listening to sexual discussions and explicit music and that sex-texting was common. Common discussions among students focused on dating and explicit music, movies and celebrities. It was concluded that electronic media has a major influence on students life and students social behaviour. The study recommended that there is need to educate students on more effective use of electronic media.

Pinning it down? Measuring innovation for sustainability transitions

Sustainability transitions require shifts in multiple social systems, practices, and institutions. Different innovation perspectives are essential for achieving and understanding transitions. They range from actor-oriented (organizational innovation management, regional innovation ecosystems) to mode-oriented (responsible innovation, mission-driven innovation) to process-oriented (social innovation) perspectives. For sustainability transitions to be governed, we need a better understanding of how the relevant contributions of innovations can be measured. In this article, we review the status of measurement across the different innovation perspectives. We find that measurement status becomes weaker as we move from actor-oriented to process-oriented innovations. To address this shortcoming, we then develop a conceptual approach for measuring social innovation. Thereby, we integrate organizational innovation capacities and regional contexts with the transformational elements of social innovation. We discuss how such an integrated and multi-level approach to measurement enhances our understanding of social innovations and, in particular, their contributions to sustainability transitions. We contribute to the sustainability transitions literature by tying it to different innovation perspectives and by conceptualizing new innovation mechanisms that drive transformations. We add to social innovation theory by specifying its role in change toward sustainability and advancing it to a measurable construct relevant to governance and policymaking.

Social innovation and food provisioning initiatives to reduce food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic

This paper examines food provisioning initiatives that were implemented to reduce food insecurity during the period of the spread of Covid-19. Food insecurity increased sharply during this time, particularly among those who contracted the virus and had to remain in quarantine, and those who suddenly lost their jobs. As a possible solution to alleviate the problem, voluntary organisations collected food from stores with surplus produce (such as restaurants that were forced to close, supermarkets, etc.) and redistributed it to people in need. This redistribution occurred in several Italian cities, including Cremona, which was one of the first towns in Italy to be dramatically affected by the pandemic.Looking through the lens of social innovation theory, this paper analyses redistribution initiatives in this town and assesses their capacity to enhance their impact on social wellbeing and to involve local society in response to social challenges. Thanks to desk research and interviews with several volunteers, it demonstrates that these initiatives are good examples of social innovation, as they address emerging social challenges and generate benefits for the entire society (not just food aid recipients), reconfigure previous aid models, actively involve local population, and assume educational and social assistance purposes.

Social innovations and street-level bureaucracies: the governance of housing squats in Rome

As the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash has caused a spike in housing vulnerability, squatting for housing purposes has gained a new momentum in Rome (Italy). If national laws like the Article 5 of the 2014 Housing Plan have pursued the eradication of the phenomenon, local districts have often adopted a more dialoguing approach towards the squatters and Housing Rights Movements to de-escalate the social exclusion it undergirds. Dwelling upon activist-ethnographic materials, this paper combines the social innovation theory with the framework of street-level bureaucracies to critically appreciate whether the initiatives activated by local administrators and social welfare practitioners in cooperation with the Housing Rights Movements in Rome can configure durable social innovations.

Social innovation in a typical social‐ecological system in China: Identifying linkages between the dependence of key stakeholders on ecosystem services and the level of their multi‐dimensional human well‐being

AbstractLinkages between ecosystem services and human well‐being are complex. These linkages are of particular significance to disadvantaged communities, commonly residing in marginalized rural areas, and having difficulties regarding biophysical factors, infrastructure, housing, and aging populations. In this paper, we focused on such a typical area in Southwestern China, where we examined the linkages between ecosystem services and human well‐being, underpinning our investigation by the social innovation theory and a social‐ecological system framework. Going beyond what has been done by other scientists, we considered the heterogeneity of beneficiaries and assessed human well‐being as it was valued by people, on the ground. We did it with full realization that stakeholder evaluation is becoming a novel means and an important instrument for targeting sustainability. The identification of key stakeholders in the Wolong Nature Reserve was the first step in our research. We categorized and classified the stakeholders into groups based on their dependence on ecosystem services and their socio‐economic characteristics. Significant differentiations among human well‐being were found, and stakeholders with heterogeneous socio‐economic characteristics had a varied dependence on specific ecosystem services. Further, the regression analysis performed revealed key factors that would mediate the level of human well‐being at the local level. The factors identified included the dependence of people on regulating and cultural services, their level of education, knowledge and occupation. Our results have contributed to discerning key stakeholders for ecosystem management purposes and determining the driving factors mediating the linkages between ecosystem services and human well‐being. Thus, in addition to contribution to science, the results have potential practical implications for steering a more sustainable governance of nature in areas that are similar to this typical socio‐ecological system in China.

Blazing the trail: Social innovation supporting wildfire-resilient territories in Catalonia (Spain)

Mediterranean territories have co-evolved and been shaped by fire throughout history. However, global environmental change conditions are increasing the size, intensity and severity of wildfires, which have gone from a regular natural disturbance to a serious threat for civil protection, surpassing firefighting capacities. Therefore, building resilience in fire-prone territories is an increasingly relevant policy and management objective. However, the notion of resilience has been criticized for paying insufficient attention to key social issues such as socio-political dynamics, power imbalances and societal change. At the same time, social science contributions to wildfire research are still rather limited. In this paper, we bridge social innovation theory to resilience theory in order to create a territorially embedded and socially sensitive framework for assessing socio-ecological resilience. From this perspective, we then examine how Forest Defence Groups (ADFs, by their Catalan acronym) have evolved from grassroots, bottom-up initiatives to well-established bottom-linked institutions and we evaluate their contributions to socio-ecological resilience in the territories where they operate. Our results show that ADFs contribute in several aspects to socio-ecological resilience and that the pave the way for opening up spaces of dialogue and collaboration through which local communities can engage with the issues that directly affect them, such as wildfires.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION: THE CORNERSTONE FOR THE EFFICIENCY OF INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS FOR HOUSEHOLD SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN LOW-INCOME RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN NIGERIA

The positive relationship between economy expansion and urban population explosion in Nigeria has generated a corresponding proliferation of household solid waste in low income residential areas of the urban centres of the country. Studies have shown indiscriminate disposal of the household solid waste is rampant in the low-income residential areas and this has been a grave concern of the government at the grassroots. In spite of several institutional frameworks set up by the Local Authorities to attain proper management of the waste, the expectation and the reality are not in tandem and among the most cited reasons is that the management procedures and frameworks are not community-based. Based on the assertions of social innovation theory, this systematic review highlights and emphasizes the significance of community participation, via Community-Based Organizations preferably the Landlords Association, in ensuring the efficiency of the set up institutional frameworks in low-income residential areas, in particular.

A participatory local governance approach to social innovation: A case study of Seongbuk-gu, South Korea

As the concept of social innovation gains increasing credence in the public consciousness, a number of questions have become increasingly prominent in the relevant discourse: what does social innovation mean at the local level? How can social innovation be promoted? In particular, what kinds of social and institutional arrangements are needed to facilitate socially innovative activities and practices in neighborhoods and communities? To address these questions, this paper first outlines the related theories and literature as an overview of the notion of social innovation. Next, to provide an example of a promising approach to social innovation at the local level, the paper develops a theoretical discussion on the interface between local social innovation and participatory local governance arrangements, and proposes a process model of local social innovation as an analytical framework for a case study of a district-level initiative in Seongbuk-gu in Seoul, South Korea. By examining the governance structure and socially innovative strategies utilized in this locality, the case study demonstrates how the local participatory governance system can furnish an enabling environment for socially innovative ideas and strategies. Lastly, along with a look at some of the unique aspects of the case, the paper discusses contributions of this study to the theory and practice of social innovation, along with implications for other cases that may consider the governance approach to social innovation.