scholarly journals Step by Step for Social Innovation with Neuro-Fuzzy Modelling

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Mariann Veresné Somosi ◽  
Krisztina Varga ◽  
György Kocziszky
Keyword(s):  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Fuzzy Modelling ◽  
Catching Up ◽  
Neuro Fuzzy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Local Actors

Innovation as the key element of economic development is a crucial factor in social processes. Technical innovations can be identified as prerequisites and causes of social change and cannot be created without the renewal of society. Technological and economic innovations cannot respond to all social challenges. Natural and material resources are becoming more and more scarce, so it is necessary to use investment assets as efficiently as possible, maximizing social and economic efficiency. It is a major task to address the backwardness of social disparities and to create opportunities for catching up in peripheral regions.The aim of our study is to identify the local level of catching-up opportunities that arise from social innovation efforts, and model values for other disadvantaged areas. The investigated solution is presented as a case study after a structured analysis of the local initiatives of the settlement. In addition to examining the prominent role of local actors and networks, we present the process of social innovation, the framework conditions that determine systemic functioning, as well as the social needs, potentials and barriers that determine social innovation efforts.The study identifies the social, economic and political challenges associated with social needs in peripheral regions, as well as proposals for solutions based on neuro-fuzzy modelling that can be adapted to other disadvantaged areas. Exploring solutions and innovative structures and collaborations provides an opportunity to demonstrate the role of the social innovation process in local-level catching-up initiatives.

scholarly journals INOVAÇÕES SOCIAIS E SEUS NÍVEIS DE ANÁLISE: O CASO PATAC – PB

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Suzanne Érica Nóbrega Correia ◽  
Verônica Macário de Oliveira ◽  
Carla Regina Pasa Goméz
Keyword(s):  
Social Transformation ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning Capacity ◽  
The Social

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar as iniciativas de inovação social desenvolvidas pelo Programa de Articulação de Tecnologias Apropriadas às Comunidades (PATAC), a partir do modelo proposto por Lévesque (2002). Nesse sentido, foram observados os três níveis de análise apresentados no modelo: atores, organizacional e institucional. Realizou-se um estudo de caso descritivo e exploratório, a partir da realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas junto a gestores e técnicos do programa supracitado. Na análise dos atores, percebe-se envolvimento da comunidade pela valorização da cultura e da capacidade de aprendizado. No nível organizacional, observou-se que, nos projetos geridos, tem um caráter compartilhado, na busca do fortalecimento sociopolítico. Os resultados demonstram que, no nível institucional, o processo de inovação social tem como função coordenar os diferentes setores da sociedade, para manter redes de relacionamentos e cooperação para funcionamento dos projetos e programas sociais envolvidos. Assim, os níveis de análise da inovação social não devem ser entendidos apenas como mecanismo isolado de satisfação das necessidades sociais, mas também como um mecanismo de transformação social que busca mudanças na configuração da sociedade como meio de promover a sustentabilidade e a qualidade de vida.Palavras-chave: Inovação social. Níveis de análise da inovação social. Desenvolvimento local.ABSTRACTThis paper aims to analyze the social innovation initiatives developed by the Appropriate Technology Joint Program for Communities (PATAC) from the model proposed by Lévesque (2002). In this sense, the three levels of analysis presented in the model were observed: actors, organizational and institutional. We conducted a study of descriptive and exploratory case from conducting semi-structured interviews with managers and technicians of the aforementioned program. In the analysis of the actors, the community’s involvement is appreciated by the valorization of the culture and the learning capacity. At the organizational level, it was observed that in managed projects, it has a shared character, in the search for socio-political strengthening. The results demonstrate that at the institutional level the social innovation process has the function of coordinating the different sectors of society to maintain networks of relationships and cooperation for the operation of the social projects and programs involved. Thus, analysis of levels of social innovation should not be understood only as a single mechanism of satisfaction of social needs, but also as a social transformation engine that seeks changes in society setting as a means of promoting sustainability and quality of life.Keywords: Social innovation. Analysis of levels of social innovation. Local development.

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.

Objects of Design

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce YEE ◽  
Mersha AFTAB
Keyword(s):  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
The Social ◽  
Native Context

Design and social innovation is a developing field of study. The current lack of critical analysis of initiatives and the dominance of insights and methods from European cases in academic literature are not sufficient to construct an image that could be considered as comprehensive. This paper aims to address both issues by introducing Activity Theory as an analytical framework, as its ability to examine phenomena in their native context through multiple perspectives is considered to be well-suited to study design and social innovation initiatives. The analysis of data obtained during a field study investigating three social initiatives in Bangkok contributed to understanding how they work and why they exist, in addition to highlighting the influence of the Thai social and cultural context on the role of design in the social innovation process.

scholarly journals Social Innovation, Societal Change, and the Role of Policies

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Lukesch ◽  
Alice Ludvig ◽  
Bill Slee ◽  
Gerhard Weiss ◽  
Ivana Živojinović
Keyword(s):  
Social Innovation ◽  
Institutional Conditions ◽  
Institutional Settings ◽  
Operational Space ◽  
Model Sets ◽  
Triadic Relationships ◽  
The Social ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Working Together

Political frameworks and policies have a strong influence on the institutional ecosystem and on governance patterns, which in turn shape the operational space of civil society initiatives. This article aims to explore the social and institutional conditions and policy initiatives that foster or hinder social innovation and the pathways leading from social innovation to institutional change through to actual impacts on policies and political frameworks, in order to understand how policymakers can encourage and enable social innovation. The article builds on an extensive empirical background to develop a heuristic model to facilitate decision making for a policy environment propitious for the emergence of social innovation. The resulting model sets up a triadic configuration of (i) a committed core of key actors, (ii) the benevolent shadow of hierarchy represented by public actors, and (iii) multifunctional and malleable intermediary support structures for a successful development of social innovation initiatives. The model is discussed and validated by reference to three in-depth case studies from differing institutional settings. We conclude that policy should recognize that social innovation will achieve most when the triadic relationships between the state, intermediary organizations, and local actors are working together synergistically.

The role of public libraries in the development of social capital in local communities – a theoretical study

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-196
Author(s):  
Maja Dorota Wojciechowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

PurposeSocial capital, understood as intangible community values available through a network of connections, is a factor in the development of societies and improving quality of life. It helps to remove economic inequalities and prevent poverty and social exclusion, stimulate social and regional development, civic attitudes and social engagement and build a civic society as well as local and regional identity. Many of these tasks may be implemented by libraries, which, apart from providing access to information, may also offer a number of services associated with social needs. The purpose of this paper is to present the roles and functions that libraries may serve in local communities in terms of assistance, integration and development based on classical social capital theories.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the classical concepts of social capital in the context of libraries. It analyses the findings of Pierre-Félix Bourdieu, James Coleman, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Putnam, Nan Lin, Ronald Stuart Burt, Wayne Baker and Alejandro Portes. Based on their respective concepts, the paper analyses the role of the contemporary library in the social life of local communities. In particular, it focuses on the possible new functions that public libraries may serve.FindingsA critical review of the concept of social capital revealed certain dependencies between libraries and their neighbourhoods. With new services that respond to the actual social needs, libraries may serve as a keystone, namely they may integrate, animate and engage local communities. This, however, requires a certain approach to be adopted by the personnel and governing authorities as well as infrastructure and tangible resources.Originality/valueThe social engagement of libraries is usually described from the practical perspective (reports on the services provided) or in the context of research on the impact of respective projects on specific groups of users (research reports). A broader approach, based on original social theories, is rarely encountered. The paper draws on classical concepts of social capital and is a contribution to the discussion on possible uses of those concepts based on an analysis of the role of libraries in social life and in strengthening the social capital of local communities.

Service innovation as a social construction: The role of boundary objects

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Mele ◽  
Roberta Sebastiani ◽  
Daniela Corsaro
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Service Innovation ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Boundary Objects ◽  
Resource Integration ◽  
Shared Meanings ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The Social ◽  
Outcome Perspective

This article advances a conceptualization of service innovation as socially constructed through resource integration and sensemaking. By developing this view, the current study goes beyond an outcome perspective, to include the collective nature of service innovation and the role of the social context in affecting the service innovation process. Actors enact and perform service innovation through two approaches, one that is more concerted and another that emerges in some way. Each approach is characterized by distinct resource integration processes, in which the boundary objects (artifacts, discourses, and places) play specific roles. They act as bridge-makers that connect actors, thereby fostering resource integration and shared meanings.

Exploring the social innovation process in a large market based social enterprise

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 1399-1414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine Vézina ◽  
Majdi Ben Selma ◽  
Marie Claire Malo
Keyword(s):  
Social Transformation ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Investment Fund ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large Market ◽  
The Social

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the organising of social innovation in a large market-based social enterprises from the perspective of dynamic capabilities and social transformation.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyses the process by which Desjardins Group launched the Desjardins Environment Fund as the first investment fund in North America to integrate environmental screening. It uses longitudinal single case analysis and a theoretical framework based on Teece’s three dynamic capabilities.FindingsResults show that dynamic capabilities can be conceived as stages in the process of social innovation. Sensing refers to the capability to identify a societal demand for social transformation. Seizing capability is about shaping societal demand into a commercial offer. Reconfiguring concerns organisational innovation to integrate actual and new knowledge through innovative routines. Microprocesses of both path dependency and path building are in action at each of the three stages.Practical implicationsThis paper shows that managing dynamic capabilities is central to social innovation in the context of a large social business and provides genuine managerial input via an analysis of the microprocesses at work in the social innovation process.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the operationalization of Teece’s dynamic capabilities model. In mobilising a framework in the field of management of innovation, it contributes to the understanding of the process of social innovation and develops the organisational mechanism for multiscalarity of social innovation as a condition for social transformation.

The Role of Societal Culture in Social Innovation

2021 ◽  
pp. 86-101
Author(s):  
Gaye Karacay
Keyword(s):  
Social Innovation ◽  
Development Stage ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Societal Culture ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Value Creation ◽  
Research Propositions

Being at a development stage, the social innovation literature needs further contributions that would help to comprehensively find out the enablers of social innovation especially within macro level. Since the nature of social innovation is cumulative as well as interactive, the micro level practices of individual social innovation initiatives add up to the general patterns at the macro-level. On account of the fact that shared values among members of a society bring about similar expectations, perceptions, and behavioral patterns, it is essential to explore how various societal cultural attributes contribute to social innovation capacities of countries. This study aims to explore an evidence of the influence of societal culture on social innovation, specifically by shaping the perceptions of social entrepreneurs for social value creation. By discussing the relationship between societal culture and social innovation in a conceptual manner along with developing research propositions, this study offers a new direction for future research.

scholarly journals The Role of Religious Rituals in Fishing Community: A Study of Irakkam Fishermen in Pulicat Lake

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 202-216
Author(s):  
C. Subba Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Social Solidarity ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Religious Rituals ◽  
Pulicat Lake ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
The Social ◽  
Psychological Strength

This article focuses on the religious rituals associated with fishing and the processes that are in vogue in the fishermen community of Pulicat Lake. The role of the rituals in the contemporary socioeconomic context of the fishermen community is analyzed by applying functionalistic approach. The data were collected from the fishermen of Irakkam Island in Tada mandal of Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh state, by employing the qualitative techniques such as in-depth interview, observation, and focus group discussions. It is found that fishermen perform varieties of rituals such as annual worshipping of ancestral spirits, ritual of launching of new boat, worshipping of clan deities at clan level, and communal worship at village level. All these rituals are considerably functional in fulfilling the psychological needs of individuals and social needs of the community at the household, clan, and community levels. The psychological prop and social cohesion are found to be the most essential features of fishermen community to cope up with the social, economic, and environmental challenges, and these rituals function as instruments to instill psychological strength and social solidarity.

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