scholarly journals Social Innovation to Sustain Rural Communities: Overcoming Institutional Challenges in Serbia

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 7248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Živojinović ◽  
Alice Ludvig ◽  
Karl Hogl
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Institutional Voids ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
Countries In Transition ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Legal Frameworks ◽  
Context Specific

Responding to a number of longstanding challenges such as poverty, wide-ranging inequalities, environmental problems, and migration, requires new and creative responses that are often not provided by traditional governments. Social innovations can offer socio-ecological and economic solutions by introducing new practices that reduce social inequalities, disproportionate resource use and foster sustainable development. Understanding the role of social innovations is especially complicated in unstable institutional environments, e.g. in developing countries and countries in transition. This paper analyses nine social innovations in rural areas in Serbia, based on in-depth interviews and document analysis. This analysis reveals factors that facilitate or constrain social innovations whilst simultaneously identifying related formal and informal institutional voids, for example, poor law enforcement, a lack of adequate infrastructure, lack of trust, as well as norms and values that bolster patriarchal systems. The results that emerged from this research show that social innovations are operating in spite of these challenges and are facilitating improvements in a number of the aforementioned challenging areas. Some innovators engage in social entrepreneurship activities because of subsistence-oriented goals, while others follow idealistic or life-style oriented goals, thus creating new social values. Moving beyond these observations, this paper also identifies means to overcome institutional voids, such as creation of context-specific organisational structures, improved legal frameworks, and innovative financial mechanisms.

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 Governance of Social Innovation in Forestry

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Ludvig ◽  
Todora Rogelja ◽  
Marelli Asamer-Handler ◽  
Gerhard Weiss ◽  
Maria Wilding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Research Topics ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
Insight Into

Over the last decade, the term social innovation has received increased attention as a potential solution to address complex global social problems and to add collective values to society. The forest sector has great potential for fostering employment, community development and reducing increased emigration from rural to urban areas. This potential is not always realised, especially in economically weak and remote rural areas. Hence, this paper tackles the question of how social innovations in forestry are able to succeed under adverse circumstances and contribute to respond to some of the before mentioned challenges? To answer this question, we first identified four very different cases across Europe that are compatible with the criteria of social innovation. Proceeding from this starting point, comparative research was undertaken with the aim to identify the cases´ specific features and key criteria for success. In the cases considered, it is evident that the sheer determination and voluntary investment of time and effort by key individuals, who were convinced of the value of the idea for the community, provided indispensable impetus to all four social innovations. In drawing its conclusions, this paper highlights the principal areas that need consideration and that hence have implications when developing supportive policies. Furthermore, we provide some insight into future research topics that would allow us to better understand the positive impacts of social innovation in the forest-based sector.

scholarly journals How Social Media Can Foster Social Innovation in Disadvantaged Rural Communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenichiro Onitsuka
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Remote Communication ◽  
Agricultural Communities ◽  
Rural Sustainability ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Social innovation has received widespread attention in the rural development field, especially its contribution to future rural sustainability. Social innovation revolves around social networks. Rural areas, however, can be relatively disadvantaged by their geographical peripherality. Social media, therefore, has strong potential to foster social innovation by enabling remote communication, but in rural areas, social media use may be low because of an aging and decreasing population. This study examined community-level adoption and use of social media in rural areas in Japan, with a focus on Facebook, for the purpose of sharing community information and facilitating networking with a variety of actors to promote rural social innovation. The study involved a comprehensive search and case studies targeting 139,063 rural communities and 10,922 rural joint-communities, all of which are legally designated agricultural communities throughout Japan. The search found that disadvantaged rural communities’ adoption of Facebook was scarce, and most of the communities that had adopted Facebook did not expand their social networks. Furthermore, investigation into the communities that had adopted social networking to a larger extent revealed that external supporters or migrants had essential roles in successful networking. Based on the obtained findings, this study has provided insights for future policy design.

scholarly journals The Impacts of Digital Infrastructure Transformation on Livestock System Sustainability in Rural Communities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leon Gwaka ◽  
Julian May ◽  
William Tucker
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Digital Infrastructure ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
System Sustainability ◽  
Societal Problems ◽  
The Impact

Investments in digital infrastructure in marginalised communities are set to increase in the next decade. These are premised on the potential of digital technologies to contribute towards solving societal problems, including the fragility of food value chains in rural areas. Although there are mixed empirical findings on the impact of these digital infrastructure investments, huge investments are continuing amid changing ICT policies in most developing countries. This paper, using a case study of a local livestock value chain in a rural community in Zimbabwe, argues for the application of non-conventional approaches towards digital infrastructure transformation impact assessment. Using selected theories and frameworks (socio-ecological systems framework, choice framework and technology affordances theory) as well as empirical data from a project in a rural community, the paper shows that real-time impact assessment using context-specific metrics may reveal hidden digital infrastructure transformation impacts, positive and negative, that are often overlooked when traditional impact assessment approaches are employed. The findings of this study contribute towards improving approaches towards ICT impact assessment. Practitioners engaging in impact assessment are challenged to move beyond dependence on traditional metrics (e.g. access) to the adoption of participatory processes to decipher context-appropriate metrics.

scholarly journals The Role of Agency in the Emergence and Development of Social Innovations in Rural Areas. Analysis of Two Cases of Social Farming in Italy and The Netherlands

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4440
Author(s):  
Cristina Dalla Torre ◽  
Elisa Ravazzoli ◽  
Marijke Dijkshoorn-Dekker ◽  
Nico Polman ◽  
Mariana Melnykovych ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Societal Challenges ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
Social Farming ◽  
The Many

Social innovation is considered a relevant concept to tackle societal challenges and needs in rural areas and to promote smart, inclusive and sustainable growth. The characterising sector of rural areas is agriculture; therefore, the focus of this paper is on social innovation in the field of social farming. Among the many factors leading to the emergence and development of social innovation, agency has been considered relevant in the literature on transformability and transformative social innovation as it is the ability to turn contextual difficulties into opportunities for social innovation and for inclusive growth. This paper proposes an evaluation framework to assess the different dimensions of agency by triangulating quantitative with qualitative data and by using indicators. This paper adopts a case study approach, analysing two cases of social farming in Italy and the Netherlands. The results show that the social innovation idea and the resilience of the agency are among the most relevant dimensions for the emergence and development of social innovations. Finally, this paper discusses the three most relevant factors for agency to lead to social innovation: idea and embeddedness of the agency, transformability of the context through agency´s resilience, and agency as catalyst for empowerment.

scholarly journals Testing a Framework to Co-Construct Social Innovation Actions: Insights from Seven Marginalized Rural Areas

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentino Marini Govigli ◽  
Sophie Alkhaled ◽  
Tor Arnesen ◽  
Carla Barlagne ◽  
Mari Bjerck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Feasibility Assessment ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
The Individual

Innovation actions within European Horizon 2020 (H2020) projects aim at testing research results in practice. When supporting social innovations in rural areas, such testing requires the alignment of several rural actors in order to entail behavioral changes beyond the individual level. Recently, social innovation has been recognized as an important tool for rural areas, developing new solutions to respond to wicked problems for improving local living conditions at the grassroots level. In this study, we analyzed the use of an operational framework to support the early governance of social innovation actions. This framework was applied to co-construct seven innovation actions across Europe and the Mediterranean basin applied to forestry, agriculture, and rural development. Our results showed that supporting social innovators and local actors at the early stage of social innovation processes is key for efficiently addressing and tackling challenges and opportunities. Additionally, we showed that the process of defining a social innovation is complex and requires recursive engagement, which might lead to evolution through time, especially in the first phases of the process. Lastly, conducting the feasibility assessment enabled strategic thinking on crucial dimensions for designing a promising social innovation action, such as social networks management, financial sustainability, and know-how. Such findings helped us to draw general lessons for the development and governance of social innovation actions in rural areas, potentially applicable to any rural sector.

scholarly journals Problems and prospects of human potential development in rural areas of Ukraine

2020 ◽  
pp. 76-82
Author(s):  
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn ◽  
Oksana Bialkovska
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Human Potential ◽  
Rural Residents ◽  
Charitable Foundations ◽  
State Programs

The subject of the research is theoretical and practical aspects of the formation, development and growth of human potential in rural areas of Ukraine. The purpose of the work is to identify the problems of forming the human potential of rural areas of the country and substantiate strategic guidelines and promising areas and means of solving them to ensure its growth and sustainable development. Methodological basis of the article is the use of modern theoretical provisions of the economy of the national economy, rural territories, the reproduction of human potential; General scientific and special methods of knowledge: demographic, statistical-economic, economic-mathematical, graphic. Results of work. It is determined that the human potential of rural areas of Ukraine is formed by demographic factors, employment and employment, income level, quality and social and environmental conditions of life. However, it is the narrowed natural reproduction, high unemployment and low incomes of rural residents that cause its deterioration and degradation. It is found that these and other problems should be solved by implementing state programs to support rural fertility, developing alternative activities and increasing employment, social and environmental development of rural areas. The field of application of results. The conclusions and suggestions of the article can be used by local governments, rural communities, public organizations, charitable foundations in solving problems of human development in rural areas, educational and scientific institutions in educational and scientific activities. Conclusions. Financial sources for the implementation of proposals can be monetary and other resources of agricultural enterprises, rural residents, rural communities, targeted state programs, public organizations and charitable foundations. Public-private partnership, social responsibility, social innovation, information and digital technologies should be used as tools for achieving these goals. When determining priorities for implementing these measures in practice, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of each locality, the region where they are located, as well as the decisions of rural communities. This will contribute to the revival of rural areas, increase the prestige of rural life, preserve the rural way of life, expand the reproduction of human capital and personal growth of human potential.

The acceptance of government transformation program (GTP) among urban and rural communities

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-266
Author(s):  
Maizatul Haizan Mahbob ◽  
Noorazwa Rahmat ◽  
Wan Idros Wan Sulaiman
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Urban Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
The Government ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
The Cost

Government Transformation Program (GTP) is a social innovation program aimed to transform Malaysian public services, and social affairs, such as improving integrity of public servants, national security, education, public transport, rural development and the cost of living in order to increase social wellbeing. The objectives of this study are to identify the differences in the acceptance of social innovation, particularly GTP and to examine factors influencing the acceptance among urban and rural communities. Through this comparison, the government can focus its GTP advocacy in urban and rural areas based on the factors that have been identified. This research used a survey of 200 people around Kuala Lumpur and one of the FELDA settlements in Kulai, Johor. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. In terms of acceptance level, the study found that rural communities are more receptive to GTP compared to urban communities. Factors influencing the acceptance of GTP among these two communities are also different. For the urban communities, the influencing factors are usefulness and self efficacy, while among the rural communities, are compatibility, familiarity and self-efficacy.

scholarly journals Reconstructive Social Innovation Cycles in Women-Led Initiatives in Rural Areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1231
Author(s):  
Simo Sarkki ◽  
Cristina Dalla Torre ◽  
Jasmiini Fransala ◽  
Ivana Živojinović ◽  
Alice Ludvig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Cognitive Frames ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
Education And Employment ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
Innovation Processes

Social innovations can tackle various challenges related to gender equity in rural areas, especially when such innovations are initiated and developed by women themselves. We examine cases located in rural areas of Canada, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, and Serbia, where women are marginalized by gender roles, patriarchal values, male dominated economy and policy, and lack of opportunities for education and employment. Our objective is to analyze five case studies on how women-led social innovation processes can tackle gender equity related challenges manifested at the levels of everyday practice, institutions, and cognitive frames. The analyses are based on interviews, workshops, literature screening, and are examined via the qualitative abductive method. Results summarize challenges that rural women are facing, explore social innovation initiatives as promising solutions, and analyze their implications on gender equity in the five case studies. Based on our results we propose a new concept: reconstructive social innovation cycle. It refers to is defined as cyclical innovation processes that engage women via civil society initiatives. These initiatives reconstruct the existing state of affairs, by questioning marginalizing and discriminative practices, institutions, and cognitive frames that are often perceived as normal. The new concept helps with to assessing the implications that women-led social innovations have for gender equity.

scholarly journals Social Innovation in Rural Areas? The Case of Andalusian Olive Oil Co-Operatives

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
José Domingo Sánchez-Martínez ◽  
Juan Carlos Rodríguez-Cohard ◽  
Antonio Garrido-Almonacid ◽  
Vicente José Gallego-Simón
Keyword(s):  
Olive Oil ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Main Role ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Depth Interviews

Social innovations have been the subject of much academic discussion in recent years and have been approached from multiple scientific perspectives. This work sets out to determine whether innovations carried out by Andalusian olive oil cooperatives can be described in terms of social innovation and if they could run a main role as rural development actors preserving the competitive capacity of farmers and the living conditions in rural Andalusia. Through an analysis of the available literature, the use of municipal statistical data and the conducting of in-depth interviews, we show how cooperatives have been proposed as a solution to the problems that international competition poses for the production activity of olives and olive oil. At present, the most innovative cooperatives are undergoing a slow process of incorporating innovations, above all organisational and management ones, which reach beyond the entities themselves, given the social character that they have in the region, where they are considered a public good. Despite the problems that olive oil cooperatives have historically had in competing in the market, they can contribute to maintaining the population in the rural environment and improving the quality of life in the region, justifying the need for government support.

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