scholarly journals The double bind of social innovation: Relational dynamics of change and resistance in neighbourhood governance

Urban Studies ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (16) ◽  
pp. 3789-3805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Bartels
Keyword(s):  
Urban Governance ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Competitive Dynamics ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Double Bind ◽  
Sustainable Change ◽  
Relational Dynamics ◽  
Institutional Actors ◽  
Communicative Signals

While current discourse promotes social innovation as a normative good, in practice it is highly contested by institutionalised ways of thinking, acting and organising. Concurrently stimulating and resisting innovation creates a ‘double bind’ of conflicting communicative signals that weaken capacities for joint sense making and sustainable change. I develop a meta-theoretical framework that explains what is involved in these relational dynamics of change and resistance, how these can be assessed and improved, and why the double bind both necessitates and inhibits substantive change. Analysing relational dynamics in a case of neighbourhood governance in Amsterdam, I argue that social innovators should be prepared to constructively confront rationalistic evaluation, defensiveness, and experiential detachment while institutional actors should welcome fundamental relational transformations of hierarchical and competitive dynamics institutionalised in urban governance.

scholarly journals Transforming the relational dynamics of urban governance: How social innovation research can create a trajectory for learning and change

Urban Studies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (14) ◽  
pp. 2868-2884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Bartels
Keyword(s):  
Urban Governance ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Relational Theory ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Relational Dynamics ◽  
Relational Approach ◽  
Innovation Research ◽  
Transformative Potential ◽  
Learning And Change

This article examines how social innovation (SI) research can co-produce transformative change in cities. A key challenge is to diffuse and sustain SIs in ways that transform the relational webs that constitute local spaces and their governance. The relational approach to SI is conceptually promising in this respect, but its foundations and practices need to be further developed. Therefore, I develop a relational ‘theory–methods package’ of practice theory and action research. By co-producing immediately usable insights, experiences and artefacts in the daily practice of SI, this approach enables researchers to gradually create conditions for a transformative trajectory of learning and change in urban governance. I critically appraise four research practices in the context of SI in Dutch urban governance and reflect on the transformative potential of this relational theory–methods package.

Jam and Justice: Co-producing Urban Governance for Social Innovation, ESRC & Mistra Urban Futures

Impact ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-40
Author(s):  
Beth Perry ◽  
Bert Russell ◽  
Catherine Durose ◽  
Liz Richardson ◽  
Alex Whinnom
Keyword(s):  
Urban Governance ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Urban Futures

scholarly journals New Public Institutional Forms and Social Innovation in Urban Governance: Insights from the “Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics” (MONUM) in Boston

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmelina Bevilacqua ◽  
Yapeng Ou ◽  
Pasquale Pizzimenti ◽  
Guglielmo Minervino
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
New Public ◽  
Eu Policies ◽  
Organizational Pattern ◽  
Innovation Practices

This paper investigates how public sector institutions change their form and approach to achieve a socially innovative urban governance. The “Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics” (MONUM) in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) proves a representative case of innovation in the public sector. As a new type of government agency, it is essentially an open innovation lab dedicated to innovative evidence-based policymaking. Following a new dynamic organizational pattern in urban governance, MONUM is conducive to project-oriented social innovation practices and horizontal multi-sectoral collaboration among the three societal sectors: public, private, and civil. Its results suggest that first, the peculiarity of MONUM lies in its hybrid and boundary-blurring nature. Second, new institutional forms that experiment with urban governance can rely on multi-sectoral collaboration. Third, MONUM has experimented with a systemic approach to social innovation following the “design thinking theory.” The MONUM case can contribute to the current debate in Europe on the need to harmonize EU policies for an effective social inclusion by promoting the application of the place-sensitive approach.

scholarly journals How Coopetition Influences the Development of a Dominant Design: Evidence from the Pinball Industry

M n gement ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 61-75
Author(s):  
Fanny Simon ◽  
Albéric Tellier
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Historical Study ◽  
Competitive Strategies ◽  
Relational Dynamics ◽  
Progressive Development ◽  
Industry Level ◽  
External Threats ◽  
Dominant Designs ◽  
Dominant Design

Most studies concerning dominant designs focus on ‘collective’ or ‘competitive’ strategies that companies deploy to impose their choices on the market. The objective of this research is to assess the extent to which ‘coopetitive’ strategies may lead to a dominant design. We analyzed the development of a dominant design over an 84-year period through a historical study in the field of pinball machines. Our study focuses on the five main manufacturers of pinball machines and analyzes data from 1930 to 2014. We demonstrate that companies undergo three phases that involve the progressive development of coopetitive relationships with different impacts on the generation of innovation. Because manufacturers differentiated their offerings, innovated and simultaneously imitated others, increased competition resulted. Simultaneously, external threats and the need to collectively respond to clients and partners prompted the manufacturers to cooperate with one another. Thus, our research provides a better understanding of how specific horizontal coopetitive relationships among manufacturers of the same type of products impact the development of a dominant design at the industry level. This case study suggests that as a theoretical framework, coopetition introduces new insights into the comprehension of relational dynamics during the development of dominant designs. Our observations also confirm or invalidate conclusions drawn in previous works related to coopetition strategies. In particular, this case is interesting as although the appropriability regime was weak, companies still developed coopetitive relationships, contradicting previous studies.

Reflective Designing for Actors and Avatars in Virtual Worlds

2008 ◽  
pp. 425-448
Author(s):  
Sisse Siggaard Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Work Groups ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Innovation Activities

This chapter proposes a designing strategy referred to as “virtual 3D exploratories”. It is a strategy by which to facilitate knowledge sharing and social innovation, activities important to many postmodern organizations and work groups—be they educational or commercial. The strategy will allow us to build virtual worlds, and universes, aimed at exploration—virtual worlds, where actors interact and communicate with each other by the means of avatars. To substantiate the designing strategy, this chapter calls attention to virtual phenomena such as: avatar-based interaction, communication, and scenarios designed for re?ective practices. Taking a ?rst step, the chapter presents narratives and video-based self-observations from 12 experiential sessions undertaken by the “Virtual 3D Agora-world” SIG as part of the EQUEL EU research project (2002-2004). Based on ?ndings and re?ections from these sessions, the designing strategy of virtual “exploratories” is outlined with reference to the “sense-making” theory (Dervin & Foreman-Wernet, 2003) and summarized in a “designing triangle”.

Reflective Designing for Actors and Avatars in Virtual Worlds

2011 ◽  
pp. 187-216
Author(s):  
Sisse Siggaard Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Work Groups ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Innovation Activities

This chapter proposes a designing strategy referred to as “virtual 3D exploratories”. It is a strategy by which to facilitate knowledge sharing and social innovation, activities important to many postmodern organizations and work groups—be they educational or commercial. The strategy will allow us to build virtual worlds, and universes, aimed at exploration—virtual worlds, where actors interact and communicate with each other by the means of avatars. To substantiate the designing strategy, this chapter calls attention to virtual phenomena such as: avatar-based interaction, communication, and scenarios designed for re?ective practices. Taking a ?rst step, the chapter presents narratives and video-based self-observations from 12 experiential sessions undertaken by the “Virtual 3D Agora-world” SIG as part of the EQUEL EU research project (2002-2004). Based on ?ndings and re?ections from these sessions, the designing strategy of virtual “exploratories” is outlined with reference to the “sense-making” theory (Dervin & Foreman-Wernet, 2003) and summarized in a “designing triangle”.

Social Innovation and Agency

2019 ◽  
pp. 245-267
Author(s):  
Nadia von Jacobi ◽  
Enrica Chiappero-Martinetti ◽  
Rafael Ziegler ◽  
Martijn van der Linden ◽  
Cees van Beers
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Complementary Currencies ◽  
And Control

This chapter provides empirical insights of agency and empowerment in social innovation across Europe. We apply portions of the theoretical framework developed in CrESSI to investigate whether social innovation is potentially able to reduce the marginalization of specific groups. We depart from the hypothesis that social innovation enhances participants’ agency and test this through the collection of primary data. Our investigation is based on a mixed-method strategy combining qualitative interviews with social innovators, focus groups, and surveys to which beneficiaries and control groups respond. The case studies comprise Solidarity Purchasing Groups in Italy, interest communities that fight for decentralized drinking-water supply and wastewater removal in Germany, and complementary currencies in The Netherlands. Our results suggest that social innovation produces mainly intangible effects by modifying knowledge and social ties, which tend to improve the agency of participants.

scholarly journals ‘Is this a Time of Beautiful Chaos?’: Reflecting on International Feminist Legal Methods

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-203
Author(s):  
Faye Bird
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Global Governance ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Double Bind ◽  
Legal Institutions ◽  
Nonideal Theory ◽  
Conceptual Clarity

Abstract This article considers how Margaret Jane Radin’s theory of the feminist double bind can bring conceptual clarity to the difficulties feminisms face in engaging with political and legal institutions of global governance. I draw on her theory to reinitiate a conversation on ideal and nonideal theory, in order to answer the call of key proponents in international legal feminism to reevaluate methodologies in critiquing mainstream institutions. By providing an account of how to navigate the double bind, this article brings conceptual clarity to the tension between resistance and compliance that has been argued to lie at the heart of the feminist project in international law. I demonstrate how this theoretical framework can foster greater pluralist perspectives in feminist engagement of ideal theories to temper the deradicalising and conservative risk of navigating feasibility constrained nonideal strategies.

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