Social innovation for sustainable development: assessing current trends

Author(s):  
Walter Leal Filho ◽  
Barbara Fritzen ◽  
Valeria Ruiz Vargas ◽  
Arminda Paço ◽  
Qiong Zhang ◽  
...  
2019 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 01018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Pochtovyuk ◽  
Victoria Semenikhina ◽  
Oksana Onyshchenko ◽  
Bogdan Ruban

The current trends of using the practice of social responsibility (SR) and sustainable business in the world and in Ukraine in particular have been considered by the authors. The researches of business social responsibility policy in the field of sustainable development considered as a single international standard have been made. As well as the prospects of social responsibility in business development in the context of power decentralization in Ukraine have been considered.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 8790
Author(s):  
Macarena Valenzuela-Zubiaur ◽  
Héctor Torres Bustos ◽  
Mónica Arroyo-Vázquez ◽  
Pablo Ferrer-Gisbert

Fab Labs as manufacturing laboratories that stimulate innovation and collaboration are nowadays proliferating within universities. Given the new social challenges, framed within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), we formulate the following research question: Are Fab Labs an effective tool for the promotion of social innovation from universities? To answer this question, a mixed analysis has been carried out focusing on the case of ProteinLab UTEM. The approach aims to generate a model for the promotion of social innovation from universities through Fab Labs, linking the quadruple helix actors. The objective of this model is to show how Fab Labs can become an effective instrument to promote social innovation from universities. The contribution of this article lies in linking Fab Labs with social innovation through the university’s third mission. Our approach considers Fab Labs as an instrument for the development of social innovations within the university, which contribute, through the third mission, to the social and sustainable development of its environment. As a result of this research, a model is presented for the development of social innovation from universities through Fab Labs. Our research concludes that Fab Labs are an effective instrument for the promotion of social innovation from universities.


2012 ◽  
pp. 587-607
Author(s):  
Pia Acconci

This article focuses on the relevance of the ‘green economy' for the promotion of human rights as the base of sustainable development, in light of major trends in international law. In June of this year, at the end of the UN Conference Rio +20 on Sustainable Development, States adopted a document - "The Future We Want" - which refers to the ‘green economy' as an economic model for the future. "The Future We Want" confirms the tendency towards the increasing involvement of private parties in international economic relations. However, complex policy issues concerning the interaction between economic and non-economic interests/concerns have arisen from current trends towards interdependence, liberalization and privatization. Some issues have brought about international disputes which are difficult to be settled, since the applicable principles and rules to the merits are insufficient and fragmented. As disputes owing to conflicts between economic and non-economic interests/concerns constitute a relevant investment and/or trade risk, all States need to promote the rapid settlement and prevention of such disputes. To this end, States and international organisations might increase the level of integration of non-economic concerns into international agreements concerning economic matters and adopt interpretative guidelines and clarifications of the existing rules.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 128-134
Author(s):  
D. A. Ryabchina ◽  
◽  
F. V. Akulinin ◽  

This article discusses the main issues of the formation and development of such a direction as environmental marketing. The main origins and reasons for the emergence of this approach were identified, and the main advantages of using it in various companies were established. It also presents a number of areas in which the company can carry out activities in the field of sustainable development. A number of companies are presented that are already actively introducing environmental marketing into their activities, and current trends in the development of environmental marketing in modern society are revealed.


Author(s):  
Anja Herrmann-Fankhänel

Socially sustainable development can be driven by individuals, entrepreneurs, growing start-ups, and international companies. As social entrepreneurs, people opt for a form of organization that contributes to social improvement through entrepreneurial means. The question is: How do they do it? The resource dependence approach (RDA) assumes that all decisions and activities of a (social) enterprise are based on information about its environment. Therefore, the four key components of the social enterprise (individual, organization, social innovation, market orientation) must be appropriate. In this chapter, therefore, social enterprises are outlined as active participants and shapers of the economy and society. Since an active improvement with regard to socially sustainable development is focused by the social enterprises in Africa, a description of the social enterprise's environment is also given within the framework of topical focuses. The goal is to derive recommendations about action for social enterprises to achieve their goals.


2022 ◽  
pp. 440-448
Author(s):  
Dumisani Chirambo

Climate change is likely to exacerbate inequality and poverty in Global South cities despite the presence of international agreements and conventions to enhance sustainable development such as the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Moreover, replicating Global North development models in the Global South might not be sufficient to address the climate change and development aspirations in the context of Asia; hence, Global North innovation capabilities might not be sufficient to address Global South climate change challenges. This paper provides an inductive analysis of the innovations and policies that could facilitate improved climate change mitigation and adaptation in the context of developing Asian cities. The paper concludes that innovative climate change policies should utilise emerging climate finance mechanisms such as South-South climate finance modalities to promote community science/citizen science and social innovation rather than building hard infrastructure as this could improve the governance and distribution of resources in cities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 7179
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Oh

As the smart city concept and applications continue to evolve, traditional architects and urban designers are facing an increasingly uncertain future. This paper outlines an innovative educational format to bolster and perpetuate the interdisciplinary nature of architects and urban designers that resonates with both sustainable development (SD) and smart cities (SCs). By applying ‘connective knowledge’ to the concept of interdisciplinarity education, a method was established that uses the SC concept to expand upon and create a bridge between distant disciplines in the context of higher education sustainable development (HESD). As a complementary educational pedagogy to the ‘whole institution approach’ to reduce barriers in higher education institutions (HEIs), this paper highlights an opportunity to apply the SC concept as a basis to construct an interdisciplinary design workshop to focus on building inter-personal competence, targeting university-level students majoring in architecture and urban design. The design workshop used microcontrollers and sensors as these are scalable and easily learnt building blocks of the Internet of Things and SCs. The inter-disciplinary workshop ran for 16 weeks with 14 students majoring in architecture and urban design and electrical engineering. Based on interviews and course evaluations, the experiment was vetted using capacities of inter-personal competence in sustainable development. A series of insights and findings from the design workshop indicated positive initial outcomes that were used to form a set of working criteria for the interdisciplinary design workshop. Future work will include structuring empirical data collection and analysis and expanding collaborations with other distant disciplines such as public administration and social innovation, as delineated by the SC concept.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (02) ◽  
pp. 255-277
Author(s):  
Shweta Mittal ◽  
Vishal Gupta ◽  
Manoj Motiani

The ‘Qasab’ case is designed to teach students about the characteristics of social entrepreneurship and the impact it has on the society. It also describes how sustainable development and social innovation are interlinked. ‘Qasab’ was an organization whose main focus was to preserve the traditional art of the Kutch region. The case describes the genesis and the journey of ‘Qasab,’ how it preserved the traditional art forms, and the personality traits of Pankaj Shah (the social entrepreneur who started ‘Qasab’). The case talks about the problems faced by the artisans in the region, which led to the formation of this social venture. Also, it touches upon the HR challenges faced by a social entrepreneur. At the time this case was written, ‘Qasab’ had become a collective enterprise comprising 1,200 rural master craftswomen from 11 ethnic communities spread across 62 villages in the arid interiors of Kutch and has been formally structured and registered as a ‘Producer Company’ owned by traditional craftswomen. ‘Qasab’ included different communities such as — ‘Mutwa’, ‘Sodha Rajput’, ‘Jat-Daneta’, ‘Meghwal’, ‘Sindhi Memon’, ‘DhebariyaRabari’, ‘KacchiRabari’, ‘Ahir’, ‘Halepotra’, ‘Sumra,’‘Hingorja’ and ‘Pathan’ — that had distinct embroidery styles and emphasized maintaining these styles (since the embroideries were an integral part of their cultural identity) — to preserve their unique identities. ‘Qasab’ was known for its outstanding quality of authentic Kutch embroidery, appliqué and patchwork products, its hallmark being traditional motifs reflecting the cultural identity of each community in contemporary designs through items of premium quality. ‘Qasab’ had made artisans stakeholders in the organization and was able to preserve the distinct art of each community. The case is based on the theme of social entrepreneurship and analyzes the process of the emergence of such enterprises, their importance and the factors that lead to their success and sustainability. Students can assess how these organizations are different from other types of organizations. The case should help students to find the parameters that show that social innovation and sustainable development are interlinked. The case can be used to study the business model of social innovation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice Halpaap ◽  
Rosanna W. Peeling ◽  
François Bonnici

Abstract Background Despite great medical advances and scientific progress over the past century, one billion people globally still lack access to basic health care services. In the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development social innovation models aim to provide effective solutions that bridge the health care delivery gap, address equity and create social value. This commentary highlights the roles of multilateral organizations and governments in creating an enabling environment where social innovations can more effectively integrate into health systems to maximize their impact on beneficiaries. Main text The integration of social innovations into health systems is essential to ensure their sustainability and the wide dissemination of their impact. Effective partnerships, strong engagement with and endorsement by governments and communities, regulations, trust and sometimes willingness are key factors to enhance system integration, replication and dissemination of the models. Three examples of social innovations selected by the Social Innovation in Health Initiative illustrate the importance of engaging with governments and communities in order to link, integrate and synergize their efforts. Key challenges that they encountered, and lessons learnt are highlighted. Multilateral organizations and governments increasingly engage in promoting and supporting the development, testing and dissemination of social innovations to address the health care delivery gap. They play an important role in creating an enabling environment. This includes promoting the concept of social innovation in health care delivery, spreading social innovation approach and lessons learnt, fostering partnerships and leveraging resources, convening communities, health system actors and various stakeholders to work together across disciplines and sectors, and nurturing capacity in countries. Conclusions Multilateral organizations and local and national governments have a critical role to play in creating an enabling environment where social innovations can flourish. In supporting and disseminating social innovation approach, multilateral organizations and governments have a great opportunity to accelerate Universal Health Coverage and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.


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