Social Innovation
Co-coordinators : Dr. Zina Nimeh and Dr. Serdar Turkeli
Professorial Fellows: Prof. Dr. René Kemp and Prof. Dr. Shyama Ramani
About
Social Innovation Working Group is an inter-specialisation working group between “Social Protection Policy Design & Financing” and “Innovation, Institutions and Development” specialisations at UNU-MERIT/MGSoG Master of Science Public Policy and Human Development programme, composed of masters students who plan to write their master theses on social innovation.
Social Innovations, National Systems of Innovation and the SDGs
Social innovations essentially refer to new social value creation in the economic systems that are intended to create, sustain, distribute or disseminate social or environmental value. Within a national system of innovation (NSI), social innovations are meant to serve underserved needs. Thus, social innovations are likely to be very important for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Governments worldwide recognize that they cannot mobilize the necessary resources and capabilities for this purpose alone. Hence, they have called for cooperation from all societal stakeholders to assume responsibility and strive to contribute to the SDGs. Thus, increasingly social innovations are associated with intended, planned, coordinated, goal oriented and legitimated actions by a variety of social agents working alone or in groups. Non-governmental economic actors ranging from civil society, social enterprises, start-ups, firms and multinationals are aligning their strategies and forming creative consortium to tackle global challenges. However, many such innovations do not achieve the expected social impact. Why? That is what we aim to explore in this work group in order to reflect and provide suggestions and recommendations for greater sustained performance of social innovations.
Key Projects
- Prof. Dr. René Kemp -> Transformative Social Innovation Theory: http://www.transitsocialinnovation.eu/
- Prof. Dr. Shyama Ramani and Dr. Serdar Turkeli -> SITE4Society : http://site4society.merit.unu.edu/
- Dr. René Wintjes -> SIMPACT: http://www.simpact-project.eu/
Key Readings (30)
Module I – Social Innovation and Human Development (10)
- Biggeri, M., Testi, E., & Bellucci, M. (2017). Enabling Ecosystems for Social Enterprises and Social Innovation: A Capability Approach Perspective. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 299-306.
- Chiappero-Martinetti, E., Houghton Budd, C., & Ziegler, R. (2017). Social Innovation and the Capability Approach—Introduction to the Special Issue. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 141-147.
- Howaldt, J., & Schwarz, M. (2017). Social Innovation and Human Development—How the Capabilities Approach and Social Innovation Theory Mutually Support Each Other. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 163-180.
- Ibrahim, S. (2017). How to Build Collective Capabilities: The 3C-Model for Grassroots-Led Development. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 197-222.
- Matthews, J. R. (2017). Understanding Indigenous Innovation in Rural West Africa: Challenges to Diffusion of Innovations Theory and Current Social Innovation Practice. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 223-238.
- Mazigo, A. F. (2017). Promoting Social Innovation Through Action Research: Evidence from an Empirical Study in the Fisheries Sector of Ukerewe District in Tanzania. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 239-257.
- Pellicer-Sifres, V., Belda-Miquel, S., López-Fogués, A., & Boni Aristizábal, A. (2017). Grassroots Social Innovation for Human Development: An Analysis of Alternative Food Networks in the City of Valencia (Spain). Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 258-274.
- Tiwari, M. (2017). Exploring the Role of the Capability Approach in Social Innovation. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 181-196.
- Von Jacobi, N., Edmiston, D., & Ziegler, R. (2017). Tackling marginalisation through social innovation? Examining the EU social innovation policy agenda from a capabilities perspective. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 148-162.
- Ziegler, R., Molnár, G., Chiappero-Martinetti, E., & von Jacobi, N. (2017). Creating (Economic) Space for Social Innovation. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 293-298.
Module II – Transformative Social Innovation (6)
- Avelino, Flor, Julia M. Wittmayer, Bonno Pel, Paul Weaver, Adina Dumitru, Alex Haxeltine, René Kemp et al. “Transformative social innovation and (dis) empowerment.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change (2017).
- Avelino, F., Wittmayer, J., Kemp, R., & Haxeltine, A. (2017). Game-changers and transformative social innovation. Ecology and Society, 22(4)
- Haxeltine, A., Pel, B., Wittmayer, J., Dumitru, A., Kemp, R., & Avelino, F. (2017). Building a middle-range theory of Transformative Social Innovation; theoretical pitfalls and methodological responses. European Public & Social Innovation Review, 2(1), 59-77.
- Haxeltine, A., Pel, B., Dumitru, A., Avelino, F., Kemp, R., Bauler, T., … & Wittmayer, J. (2017). Towards a TSI theory: a relational framework and 12 propositions.
- Kemp, R., Backhaus, J., Strasser, T., Weaver, P.M., (2017) Humanisation of the economy through social innovation, SPRU 50th anniversary conference Version of Aug 8 , 2016
- Turkeli, S. & Wintjes, R. (2014). Towards the societal system of innovation: The metropolitan areas in Europe. UNU-MERIT Working Paper Series (040)
Module III – Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (6)
- Edwards‐Schachter, Mónica E., Cristian E. Matti, and Enrique Alcántara. “Fostering quality of life through social innovation: A living lab methodology study case.” Review of Policy Research 29.6 (2012): 672-692.
- Edwards-Schachter, Mónica, and Matthew L. Wallace. “‘Shaken, but not stirred’: Sixty years of defining social innovation.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change 119 (2017): 64-79.
- Ramani, Shyama V., Shuan SadreGhazi, and Geert Duysters. “On the diffusion of toilets as bottom of the pyramid innovation: Lessons from sanitation entrepreneurs.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change 79.4 (2012): 676-687.
- Ramani, Shyama V., Shuan SadreGhazi, and Suraksha Gupta. “Catalysing innovation for social impact: The role of social enterprises in the Indian sanitation sector.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change 121 (2017): 216-227.
- Westley, Frances, and Nino Antadze. “Making a difference: Strategies for scaling social innovation for greater impact.” Innovation Journal 15.2 (2010)
- Murray, Robin, Julie Caulier-Grice, and Geoff Mulgan. The open book of social innovation. London: National endowment for science, technology and the art, 2010.
Module IV – Social, Frugal and Inclusive Innovation, and Emerging Markets (9)
- Domanski, D., Howaldt, J., & Schröder, A. (2017). Social Innovation in Latin America. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 307-312.
- Khan, R. (2016). How frugal innovation promotes social sustainability. Sustainability, 8(10), 1034.
- Mair, J., Martí, I., & Ventresca, M. J. (2012). Building inclusive markets in rural Bangladesh: How intermediaries work institutional voids.
- Mulgan, Geoff. “The process of social innovation.” Innovations: technology, governance, globalization 1.2 (2006): 145-162.
- van Beers, C., Knorringa, P., & Leliveld, A. (2013, March). Understanding frugal innovation in Africa: Schumpeter revisited. Discussion Paper for the International Workshop ‘The (Mis) Fortune of Frugal Innovation.
- Winterhalter, S. (2015). Resource-Constrained Innovation and Business Models in Emerging Markets. PhD diss., University of St. Gallen.
- Zeschky, M., Widenmayer, B., & Gassmann, O. (2011). Frugal innovation in emerging markets. Research-Technology Management, 54(4), 38-45.
- Zeschky, M., Widenmayer, B., & Gassmann, O. (2014). Organising for reverse innovation in Western MNCs: the role of frugal product innovation capabilities. International Journal of Technology Management, 64(2-4), 255-275.
- Zeschky, M. B., Winterhalter, S., & Gassmann, O. (2014). From cost to frugal and reverse innovation: Mapping the field and implications for global competitiveness. Research-Technology Management, 57(4), 20-27.
Journals
- Special issue of Ecology and Society on game changers and social innovation. https://www.ecologyandsociety.
org/issues/view.php?sf=114 - Special Issue of Journal of Human Development and Capabilities on social innovation for human development. http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjhd20/18/2?nav=tocList&
- Special Issue of the Review of Policy Research: Innovation, Innovation Policy, and Social Inclusion in Developing Countries. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ropr.2012.29.issue-6/issuetoc
