scholarly journals Local Development Initiatives as Promoters of Social Innovation: Evidence from Two European Rural Regions

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-53
Author(s):  
Marina Novikova ◽  
Maria de Fátima Ferreiro ◽  
Tadeusz Stryjakiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Rural Regions ◽  
Existing Problems ◽  
Extensive Body ◽  
Action Groups

AbstractSocial innovation entered the academic discourse several decades ago and has since been seen as a way of tackling existing problems in various contexts. Although an extensive body of research has been conducted into the role of social innovation in urban context, there is still a gap when it comes to studying the role of social innovation in the development of rural areas. In this paper, an attempt is made to look at the role of Local Action Groups (LAGs) and Local Development Associations (LDAs) as promoters of social innovation in rural areas in Austria and Portugal, aiming to understand the role of such organisations and the challenges faced by the latter in promoting social innovation.

Rural non-profit leaders and their (in)formal role in local development

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oto Potluka ◽  
Petr Fanta
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Matching Method ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Voluntary Engagement ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Action Groups

Current interest in place-based leadership is playing a crucial role in local development. It concerns mainly politicians and public servants. The role of non-profit leaders is still an under-researched topic. Thus, we ask the following research questions: Are rural areas with local action groups (LAGs) more attractive to people than those without? Within rural areas with LAGs, are those with a higher proportion of non-profit partners more attractive to people?<br />On a sample of 6,262 Czech municipalities, we tested whether membership of municipalities in LAGs and non-profit leadership attributed to positive migration balance. We did it by the application of the propensity score matching method combined with the difference–indifference approach.<br />We found positive estimates for both LAGs’ membership and non-profit leadership on the attractiveness of municipalities. The participation of non-profit leaders makes an important difference. These results underline the importance of bottom-up approaches with voluntary engagement. Moreover, our findings demonstrate contradictory aspects of top-down imposed policies.

scholarly journals Challenges of impact assessment in Social Innovation: A qualitative study from two European rural regions

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-50
Author(s):  
Marina Novikova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Uniform Method ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Rural Regions ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Innovation Projects ◽  
Positivist Approach ◽  
Action Groups

Over recent years, various approaches to assessing the impacts of social innovation (SI) have developed without a uniform method having arisen. There are some issues around how impacts can be assessed, connected with the questions on the nature of impacts, the levels of analysis and effects of a purely positivist approach to impact assessment. While attempting to assess such impacts, various SI initiatives face the diversity of challenges. To this end, the aim of the article is to investigate the experience of said initiatives promoting social innovation related to impact assessment of social innovation. The paper is based on an empirical study conducted with the local development associations and local action groups involved in social innovation projects in two rural regions of Austria and Portugal. The results indicate that, despite recognising the importance of impact assessment regarding social innovation activities and the opportunities it provides, local organisations in question face many challenges in assessing the impacts of social innovation, including conceptual and practical difficulties.

scholarly journals What Are the Impacts of Social Innovation? A Synthetic Review and Case Study of Community Forestry in the Scottish Highlands

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4359
Author(s):  
Carla Barlagne ◽  
Mariana Melnykovych ◽  
David Miller ◽  
Richard J. Hewitt ◽  
Laura Secco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Study Approach

In a context of political and economic austerity, social innovation has been presented as a solution to many social challenges, old and new. It aims to support the introduction of new ideas in response to the current urgent needs and challenges of vulnerable groups and seems to offer promising solutions to the challenges faced by rural areas. Yet the evidence base of the impacts on the sustainable development of rural communities remains scarce. In this paper, we explore social innovation in the context of community forestry and provide a brief synthetic review of key themes linking the two concepts. We examine a case of social innovation in the context of community forestry and analyse its type, extent, and scale of impact in a marginalized rural area of Scotland. Using an in-depth case study approach, we apply a mixed research methodology using quantitative indicators of impact as well as qualitative data. Our results show that social innovation reinforces the social dimension of community forestry. Impacts are highlighted across domains (environmental, social, economic, and institutional/governance) but are mainly limited to local territory. We discuss the significance of those results in the context of community forestry as well as for local development. We formulate policy recommendations to foster and sustain social innovation in rural areas.

scholarly journals Specialists for Crumble Cakes? The German LandFrauen Organizations in Social Innovation, and as Educational, Social, and Political Institutions

2021 ◽  
pp. 77-107
Author(s):  
Laura Suarsana
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Local Fields ◽  
Horizontal Structure ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Deep Integration

AbstractThis chapter presents empirical results on the German LandFrauen clubs and associations as contemporary elements of German civil society from the conceptual perspective of social innovation, as an approach which is expected to hold high potential particularly for rural areas. The analysis shows that the German LandFrauen clubs and associations are highly engaged in initiating change and development in rural Germany by uniquely addressing women’s needs through social, cultural, and educational offers. Here, the members’ social interactions function as a basis and starting point for further activities providing impulses in local development.As prerequisites that enable the LandFrauen to pursue their activities, two key characteristics were identified: (1) Their practices are integrated into specific local fields and highly adaptive to local needs and interests through the deep integration of the large and diverse base of members in their local villages and rural society, which allows for functions as local initiators, catalysts, and multipliers in regional development. (2) The institutional frame of clubs and associations allows for support, cooperation, and exchange across the vertical and horizontal structure, and provides access to resources and a broad network to external partners.

scholarly journals Faith and development: The role of local religious organization in community change in Papua

2020 ◽  
Vol 202 ◽  
pp. 01001
Author(s):  
Elco van Burg
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Community Change ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
Development Organizations ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Fruitful Cooperation ◽  
To Come ◽  
Role Of Religion

Religious organizations have an important role in development aid. For a long time, this role was not acknowledged by the main players in the development arena, but this has changed over the last few decades. Yet, this role is not without tensions, as in particular western donors hold secular perspectives on development and find it hard to deal with organizations that want to provide help as well as spread their religion. In this study, I review the literature on faith-based organizations (FBOs) and present a case-study of how churches in rural areas of Indonesia’s Papua province fulfill key roles in local development. To come to a fruitful cooperation between large development organizations and such indigenous churches, an important condition is that the role of religion in daily life of these Papuans needs to be acknowledged.

scholarly journals Extension and pedagogical practice in architecture

ESTOA ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 147-156
Author(s):  
Pedro Martínez Osorio ◽  
Eder García Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Municipal Administration ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
The University ◽  
The City

The pedagogical practices developed in articulation with the extension office called "architectural consulting" attached to the architecture program of Caribbean University Corporation in Sincelejo, Colombia, are presented in order to reflect on the exercises developed in the light of one of the functions inherent in the university in the 21st century: innovation, specifically speaking of recent trends in social sustainability and its relationship with pedagogical practice in architecture. The adopted methodology, with a participatory approach, was developed in 4 phases: problem identification, work criteria, conceptualization, and implementation. Examples of the participatory works developed by students of the architecture program are shown, which generate alternatives for local development in the city, in places where the municipal administration and its planning structures do not reach to arrive in an effective way. Changes are identified in the role of pedagogical practices focused on social innovation and the new functions they assume, students, teachers and communities involved in the critical construction of the new citizenship.

WOMEN'S AGRICULTURAL CO-OPERATIVES IN GREECE: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AND SWOT ANALYSIS

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (01) ◽  
pp. 1550002 ◽  
Author(s):  
PANAGIOTA SERGAKI ◽  
MARIA PARTALIDOU ◽  
OLGA IAKOVIDOU
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Rural Society ◽  
Know How ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Europe Today

Very few women's co-operatives exist in Europe today; of those that do, the vast majority are involved in non-agricultural sectors. For the past thirty years in Greece, numerous women's agricultural co-operatives have been established in rural areas and scholars have articulated several aspects of their role in both women's life and the local development. A cursory glance at the history of the women's agricultural co-operatives in Greece and a review of the literature highlights the uniqueness of this type of entrepreneurship (a rarity in Europe) and their significant role for rural society cohesion, mainly in geographically and economically isolated rural areas. In this paper we employ a SWOT analysis to elaborate on strengths and weaknesses, which vary from co-operative to co-operative. Either bottom-up or top-down created women's co-operatives are currently a social innovation. Their strengths mainly concern economic independence and social inclusion of women in rural areas, while their weaknesses are mainly associated with funding, organization, administration, know how, culture, product promotion and marketing problems. Nevertheless, they are called upon to survive in a competitive environment; although difficult, it is one that provides opportunities that most likely can outweigh threats.

scholarly journals Key Drivers of the Engagement of Farmers in Social Innovation for Marginalised Rural Areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8454
Author(s):  
Antonio Baselice ◽  
Mariarosaria Lombardi ◽  
Maurizio Prosperi ◽  
Antonio Stasi ◽  
Antonio Lopolito
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Heckman Model ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Key Drivers

The European Union promotes social innovation (SI) initiatives for the support of marginalised rural areas through rural and sustainable development policies. These are based on the engagement of local actors and the strengthening of their mutual relationships to boost the fostering of professional collaborations. In this context, the Horizon 2020 Social Innovation in Marginalised Areas (SIMRA) project elaborated a conceptual framework for characterising the engagement in an SI initiative. Accordingly, this paper aims to demonstrate that engagement relies on specific key drivers, such as the existence of unmet social needs and the role of agency. To this end, a two-step Heckman model was applied to an SI initiative case study called Vàzapp’, a rural hub (agency) located in Southern Italy. It promotes relationships among farmers to valorise the marginalised rural areas. The results appear consistent with the theoretical framework, demonstrating that the farmers’ engagement was motivated by the existence of the aforementioned determinants. The implications are relevant for policymakers, consultants, and social innovators who may incorporate these elements in designing specific SI projects in different contexts.

scholarly journals Possible Actors in Local Foodscapes? LEADER Action Groups as Short Supply Chain Agents—A European Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2080
Author(s):  
Csaba Ruszkai ◽  
Ilona Pajtók Tari ◽  
Csaba Patkós
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Local Action ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Local Product ◽  
Action Groups

In recent decades, alongside industrialized agriculture and food-supply systems, an alternative, network-based framework has evolved supporting local development, social innovation and sustainability objectives. Short supply chains are in the focus of the new era. At the same time, from the 1990s a new, bottom-up, spatially bound rural development method, the Liaison Entre Actions pour le Development de l’Economie Rurale (LEADER) approach, has arisen. The purpose of this study is to examine the involvement of LEADER local action groups in the management of alternative food systems in Europe. After a literature-based, detailed theoretical review, a quantitative analysis concerning the content of the official websites of action groups was conducted. A local product promoting quantitative index was created from the qualitative characteristics of the sites. From the collected data, using basic statistical analysis and thematic mapping connections were searched between local action group general characteristics and their short supply chain support activities. The results indicate notable national differences between Western and Eastern European and Mediterranean LEADER groups, supporting previous literature. It may be concluded that local action groups as potential hubs of social innovation, can be crucial actors in local foodscapes, mainly in less developed areas where other non-profit or for-profit organizations are unable to manage supply chains.

scholarly journals Rola lidera lokalnego w rozwoju gminy

2011 ◽  
pp. 117-135
Author(s):  
Paulina Legutko-Kobus
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Communication Channels ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Local Leader ◽  
Local Leaders

The paper focused on the role of the leader (individual and collective) in the processes of local development, especially in the programming of local development and community perceived as a learning organization. The analysis concerned the small rural municipalities. The studies allow to make the following conclusions: • Economic success and associated with it the diversification of the rural areas depends on many factors, especially from local activity related to the programming and acquiring of external funds. • A few models of public participation are possible in the programming and the developmental processes. It seems that the stronger social relations and local trust are in the communities, the greater chance is for active using of social development factors, • Currently the most often existing local leader is a group, which guarantees continuity of the development on the local scale regardless of the circumstances, • Local collective leader is also a guarantee for the existence of networks, communication channels between diXerent social groups, that is building the civil society and strengthening of social capital, • women play an increasingly important role among the local leaders.

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