scholarly journals ‘Assistance from A to Z’ as an Innovative Social Investment in Action. Evaluation of a Case Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-17
Author(s):  
Aldona Wiktorska-Święcka ◽  
Dorota Moroń
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Desk Research ◽  
Municipal Level

Abstract The aim of the article is to present a case study of the implementation of innovative social investment in the area of social inclusion. The case study analysed, namely the project Assistance from „A” to „Z” — Professional activation of homeless people from Wroclaw Circle St. Brother Albert Aid Society, refers to the social and vocational integration of homeless people at the municipal level in Poland. The authors hypothesize that innovative social investments are key to the success of the policy of social inclusion, which requires new, innovative ideas to empower people at risk of exclusion. The article uses the case study method and the method of desk research, in which an analysis of the strategy documents, source materials and activities was carried out. The results were subjected to critical analysis, using the achievements of research in the field of social investment, social innovation and social inclusion policy. The paper is the result of partial studies carried out within the framework of the research project Innovative Social Investment: Strengthening communities in Europe (InnoSI), financed by the EU Research and Innovation programme Horizon 2020. As a result, one has to consider the question “What works?”. The analysis showed the accompaniment method to be the most effective tool in the project’s actions and one which may be disseminated as a recommendation for social investment. The question “How?” brought evidence that the existing set of activities and their sequence (integrity and complexity) was appropriate, necessary and effective from the perspective of beneficiaries, the Wroclaw Circle St. Brother Albert Aid Society and stakeholders. Considering the question “In what circumstances?”, the key element was related to the leadership offered by the Wroclaw Circle St. Brother Albert Aid Society, which was running the implementation of the project. As a conclusion, one can formulate the cautious thesis that the outcomes can to some extent be generalized, particularly at the level of other local entities in Poland or in other countries/regions of Central and Eastern Europe, which have a similar welfare model (e.g. the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia).

scholarly journals Democratising Smart Cities? Penta-Helix Multistakeholder Social Innovation Framework

Smart Cities ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1145-1172
Author(s):  
Igor Calzada
Keyword(s):  
Social Innovation ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Quadruple Helix ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Social Models ◽  
Civic Society ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
The Social ◽  
Desk Research

The smart cities policy approach has been intensively implemented in European cities under the Horizon 2020 programme. However, these implementations not only reduce the interdependencies among stakeholders to technocratic Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) models, but also fail to question the identities of strategic stakeholders and how they prioritise their business/social models. These aspects are putting democracy at stake in smart cities. Therefore, this article aims to unfold and operationalise multistakeholders’ policy frameworks from the social innovation perspective by suggesting the ex-novo penta-helix framework—including public, private, academia, civic society, and social entrepreneurs/activists—to extend the triple and quadruple-helix frameworks. Based on fieldwork action research conducted from February 2017 to December 2018—triangulating desk research, 75 interviews, and three validation workshops—this article applies the penta-helix framework to map out five strategic dimensions related to (i) multistakeholder helix framework and (ii) the resulting business/social models comparatively in three follower cities of the H2020-Replicate project: Essen (Germany), Lausanne (Switzerland), and Nilüfer (Turkey). For each case study, the findings reveal: (i) a unique multistakeholder composition, (ii) diverse preferences on business/social models, (iii) a regular presence of the fifth helix as intermediaries, and (iv) the willingness to experiment with democratic arrangements beyond the hegemonic PPP.

scholarly journals Commoning Adaptive Heritage Reuse as a Driver of Social Innovation: Naples and the Scugnizzo Liberato Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 191
Author(s):  
Federica Fava
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Adaptive Reuse ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Successful Model ◽  
Urban Commons ◽  
The City ◽  
Desk Research

The adaptive reuse of cultural heritage assets is often problematic. What emerges is the urgency of a thoughtful negotiation between built forms and emerging needs and requests. In this view, a fruitful trajectory of development arises in commoning heritage by means of adaptive reuse. Hence, the purpose of this article is to investigate how community-led adaptive heritage re-use practices contribute to social innovation in terms of new successful model of urban governance, by providing a specific focus on innovative aspects that emerge in both heritage and planning sectors. Therefore, it also aims to improve the knowledge in the innovative power of heritage when conceptualized as performative practice. To this end, the paper presents the adaptation process of a former church complex located in Naples, today Scugnizzo Liberato, one of the bottom-up initiatives recognized by the Municipality of Naples as part of the urban commons network of the city. The research results are based on desk research, a literature review, and interviews with experts and activists, conducted as part of the OpenHeritage project (Horizon 2020). Initial evidence shows that profound citizen involvement throughout the whole heritage-making process might generate innovative perspectives in urban governance as well as conservation planning practice.

Patterns of Social Inclusion and Exclusion Among Youth Living in Stigmatized Neighborhoods

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiana Espíndola Ferrer
Keyword(s):  
Social Integration ◽  
Residential Segregation ◽  
Neighborhood Effects ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Ethnographic Case Study ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
The Social

This chapter is an ethnographic case study of the social integration trajectories of youth living in two stigmatized and poor neighborhoods in Montevideo. It explains the linkages between residential segregation and social inclusion and exclusion patterns in unequal urban neighborhoods. Most empirical neighborhood research on the effects of residential segregation in contexts of high poverty and extreme stigmatization have focused on its negative effects. However, the real mechanisms and mediations influencing the so-called neighborhood effects of residential segregation are still not well understood. Scholars have yet to isolate specific neighborhood effects and their contribution to processes of social inclusion and exclusion. Focusing on the biographical experiences of youth in marginalized neighborhoods, this ethnography demonstrates the relevance of social mediations that modulate both positive and negative residential segregation effects.

Alliances and arguments: A case study of a child with persisting speech difficulties in peer play

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Tempest ◽  
Bill Wells
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Social Competencies ◽  
Linguistic Strategies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Interactional Analysis ◽  
Communication Needs

The ability to argue and to create alliances with peers are important social competencies for all children, including those who have speech, language and communication needs. In this study, we investigated the management of arguments and alliances by a group of 5-year-old male friends, one of whom has a persisting speech difficulty (PSD). Twelve argument episodes that arose naturally during video-recorded free play at school were analysed, using Conversation Analysis. Overall the data show that the child with PSD was just as likely as one of his friends to be included in, or excluded from, play alliances. Detailed analysis of two episodes reveals that the child with PSD competently used a range of linguistic devices in and around arguments and that his speech difficulties apparently did not impact on his ability to form alliances. This study highlights the need for those of us who work with children to take account of peer interactions and to consider the linguistic strategies that children employ when participating in peer talk and play: the social world in which inclusion and exclusion are accomplished. The study also illustrates the value of qualitative micro-interactional analysis as a research tool for investigating social inclusion and exclusion.

Disappointing poverty trends: is the social investment state to blame?

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 450-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Vandenbroucke ◽  
Koen Vleminckx
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Resource Competition ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Post Industrial ◽  
Industrial Societies ◽  
The Eu

Should we explain the disappointing outcomes of the Open Method of Co-ordination on Inclusion by methodological weaknesses or by substantive contradictions in the ‘social investment’ paradigm? To clarify the underlying concepts, we first revisit the original ‘Lisbon inspiration’ and then relate it to the idea of the ‘new welfare state’, as proposed in the literature on new risks in post-industrial societies. We then discuss two explanations for disappointing poverty trends, suggested by critical accounts of the ‘social investment state’: ‘resource competition’ and a ‘re-commodification’. We do not find these explanations convincing per se and conclude that the jury is still out on the ‘social investment state’. However, policy-makers cannot ignore the failure of employment policies to reduce the proportion of children and working-age adults living in jobless households in the EU, and they should not deny the reality of a ‘trilemma of activation’. Finally, we identify policy conditions that may facilitate the complementarity of social investment and social inclusion.

Mobility, Data, and Behavior

2015 ◽  
pp. 382-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Di Dio ◽  
Barbara Lo Casto ◽  
Fabrizio Micari ◽  
Gianfranco Rizzo ◽  
Ignazio Vinci
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Actual Situation ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
University Departments ◽  
Mobility Data ◽  
The Social ◽  
Innovation Project ◽  
And Behavior

This chapter presents the social innovation project “TrafficO2”, a support system for decision-making in the field of transportation that tries to push commuters towards more sustainable mobility by providing concrete incentives for each responsible choice. After focusing on Palermo, Italy, the context of this case study, this chapter provides a detailed description of the TrafficO2 model. Specifically, the chapter deals with the analysis of a selected sample of users among Palermo University students who commute daily to their respective University departments on campus. Starting from the modal split of the actual situation (Status Quo scenario), another behavior scenario (Do your right mix) is designed and promoted to encourage users to create a better mix of existing mobility means and reduce the use of private vehicles powered by combustibles. The first test that was performed confirmed the reliability of the initiative.

scholarly journals Architecture in the process of social inclusion of homeless

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 00093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Rybka ◽  
Anna Brudnicka
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Intentional Communities ◽  
Building Process ◽  
The Social ◽  
The One ◽  
Socially Excluded ◽  
Straw Bale

The phenomenon of homelessness requires active support to stimulate the actions of socially excluded people in the process of leaving homelessness. The study exemplifies transfer of benefits from the design sector to the social service sector. Shelters or installations for homeless people give them, on the one hand, a chance to survive, on the other, signal of acceptance of their status. Is it necessary to design forms that consolidate their condition or initiate a process whose aim is to overcome the state of homelessness and social inclusion? The paper reveals how to engage homeless populations as clients participating in the design and building process. The study presents a project in the field of natural construction based on straw balls technology. Materials are common, cheap, local and biodegradable. Straw bale technology allows building intentional communities developing in direction of social, economic and environmental sustainability. The project tries to solve the main problems of homelessness through assurance of refuge, inclusion in society, motivation to work and to develop the ability of the homeless to cooperate. The target group can gradually achieve economic independence and become an active part of society.

Governing local social innovations against poverty across Europe

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Stijn Oosterlynck ◽  
Yuri Kazepov ◽  
Andreas Novy
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Innovation Dynamics ◽  
The Social ◽  
Full Participation ◽  
Core Concepts

In this introductory chapter, we present our understanding of the core concepts of this book, namely social innovation and poverty, and situate these concepts in contemporary debates on the governance of welfare provision. We define social innovation as actions that satisfy social needs through the transformation of social relations, which crucially implies an increase of the capabilities and access to resources of people living in poverty. Poverty is not reduced to a lack of monetary income, but refers to a range of processes of social exclusion in various spheres of life that hinders people’s full participation in society. We outline the aim of this book as a sustained attempt to analyse how the social innovation dynamics of localised initiatives are shaped by the welfare regime context with its specific spatial and institutional characteristics. Finally, we discuss the methodological strategy of the comparative case study research on which this book is based.

Don't walk by: urban faith-based homeless outreach campaigns

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-115
Author(s):  
Hans Oh ◽  
Sam Albertson
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Community Inclusion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Rehabilitation Programs ◽  
The Social ◽  
Tremendous Amount

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the objectives and overall approach of a faith-based homeless outreach campaign. It aims to stimulate wider discussion about how civil society can play a role in achieving participatory parity for the homeless. Design/methodology/approach – Using a case study approach, this viewpoint paper then connects practical considerations to extant literature on community inclusion. Findings – This particular homeless outreach campaign generated a tremendous amount of volunteerism – perhaps unparalleled relative to any other recent campaign driven by civil society. Yet it aimed only to funnel the homeless into the private social sector. Furthermore, most of the homeless people engaged on the streets did not complete the rehabilitation programs. Research limitations/implications – Campaigns such as this may need to adopt discursive habits in order to recognize the social distances that must be bridged between the housed and the homeless. With greater reflexivity, volunteers can use their interactions with the homeless to develop empathy, compassion, and understanding. Volunteers may then feel inspired to leverage their personal resources to address community perceptions of homelessness, or to advocate for systematic changes. Originality/value – This paper suggests recasting the goals of homeless campaigns to include the development of social bridges between the housed and the homeless, which can guide advocacy efforts.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document