A Critical Reading of the European Union’s Social Innovation Policy

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 (1) ◽  
pp. 11729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Fougère ◽  
Beata Segercrantz ◽  
Hannele Seeck
Keyword(s):  
Social Innovation ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Critical Reading

scholarly journals A critical reading of the European Union’s social innovation policy discourse: (Re)legitimizing neoliberalism

Organization ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 819-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Fougère ◽  
Beata Segercrantz ◽  
Hannele Seeck
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Policy Discourse ◽  
Critical Reading ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
Negative Impacts

In this article, we conduct a critical reading of the European Union social innovation policy discourse. We argue that rather than being a transformative discourse within European Union policy, European Union social innovation policy discourse reinforces neoliberal hegemony by (re)legitimizing it. Inspired by post-foundational discourse theory and Glynos and Howarth’s logics of critical explanation, we analyse three central European Union social innovation policy documents. We characterize what kind of political project is articulated in and through European Union social innovation policy discourse, and uncover how it relates to neoliberal political rationality. Our contribution lies in showing (1) how the social logics of European Union social innovation policy can be understood as both ‘roll-out’ and ‘roll-with-it’ neoliberalization, thereby relegitimizing and naturalizing neoliberalism; (2) how the political logics of European Union social innovation policy pre-empt the critique of ‘roll-back’ neoliberalization and thus legitimize decreased public expenditure; and (3) how the fantasmatic logics make European Union social innovation policy ideologically useful in relegitimizing neoliberalism through the win-win-win fantasy and the ethical responsibilization of subjects. We argue that resisting the neoliberalizing power of European Union social innovation policy discourse implies resisting the fantasmatic grip of social innovation as carrying a sublime win-win-win. Instead of accepting social innovation as driven by a replication of best practices, we need to understand social innovations as conceived and suited for particular social issues in particular contexts: we call for a different win-win mindset that does not blind innovators to possible negative impacts of social innovations.

scholarly journals Innovation and the Public Service: Facilitating Inclusive Industrial and Social Development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Plantinga
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Inclusive Development ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
The Public ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Development Outcomes ◽  
Public Organisations ◽  
Legal Frameworks

Public servants involved in South Africa’s innovation policy and programmes are under pressure to adopt more agile and open ways of working to support industrial and social innovation, especially in relation to achieving inclusive development outcomes. Implementing these practices in public sector departments is a challenge. Whilst innovation agencies were established to play a more independent mediating role between the private sector and government, they operate within similar legal frameworks and depend on the same political principals for funding as their parent departments. As a result, there is significant friction between expected innovation-enabling practices and established bureaucratic procedures. Instead of calling for the de-bureaucratisation of the public sector, this chapter seeks to highlight the significant diversity in public organisations and officials involved in stimulating industrial and social innovation; the reasons why certain procedures and practices are in place; and the need to develop targeted interventions that can improve specific routines, capacities and legitimacy at organisational and individual levels as a way to achieve innovation outcomes

scholarly journals State support for innovation in the social sphere in Russia and the countries of the European Union

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuliya Kuznetcova
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Support Fund

If until the 90s. innovation policy was focused solely on the activities of enterprises in the real sector of the economy, and economic and social problems were not considered in their interconnection and interdependence, then with the advent of the 21st century the situation has changed dramatically. The increasing contribution of health care, education, social security to the gross domestic product, job creation has made it possible to consider them as a sphere of origin and application of innovations. It has been established that in conditions of a high load on the budget system of the country, social innovations can play a significant role in the development of society, influencing the saving of government spending on the social sphere while improving the quality of life of citizens. The purpose of the article was to identify the features of supporting innovative activities in the social sphere at the state level in the Russian Federation and the European Union. The study revealed the content of the activities of key organizations that are focused on the development of social innovations: in the Russian Federation – the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, the Social Projects Support Fund, innovation centers in the social sphere in the regions of the country, in the European Union – the Commission on Social Innovations and the Innovation Union . The key features of the activities of these organizations are identified in terms of support and replication of social innovation. Based on the study, it was found that in Russia, the ecosystem for supporting innovation in the social sphere is less stable and structured, but is dynamically developing in terms of its individual components. In the European Union, the system for supporting social innovation is much more established, many of its elements are highly developed (in particular, evaluating the effectiveness of social innovation).

Social Innovation Policy

2019 ◽  
pp. 417-448
Author(s):  
Nadia von Jacobi ◽  
Alex Nicholls ◽  
Daniel Edmiston ◽  
Attila Havas ◽  
Klaus Kubeczko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Innovation ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Innovation Studies ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Business Innovation ◽  
Subsidiarity Principle ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
Political Character

This chapter addresses key issues that public policy seeking to support social innovation faces. Combining theoretical insights of the Extended Social Grid Model with empirical results obtained from EU policy surveys and case studies, it identifies key policy implications and recommendations. It first introduces key notions for social innovation policy, including the multifaceted landscape into which support is inserted; the necessity to recognize its political character; to what extent insights from business innovation studies can be useful; and why successful support of social innovation must imply institutional change. The chapter then outlines a series of recurrent policy dilemmas such as whether horizontal support should be preferred; the trade-off between degree and costs of marginalization that wish to be targeted; the difficulty to promote a capability to associate; and how the subsidiarity principle may clash against the need to overcome marginalizing processes.

scholarly journals How Does a Social Open Innovation Succeed? Learning from Burro Battery and Grassroots Innovation Festival of India

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinhyo Joseph Yun ◽  
Abiodun A. Egbetoku ◽  
Xiaofei Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Open Innovation ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
First Case ◽  
Grassroots Innovation ◽  
New Business ◽  
New Business Models

As people pay attentions to social innovation as the source of innovative ideas and the repository of new business models, this study poses the following research questions: How does a social open innovation succeed? What is the success factor of social open innovation? What are the successful dynamics of social open innovation? This article selected two case studies: one is the Burro Battery Company in Ghana and the other is grassroots innovation enterprise of India known as the Honey Bee Network and its collaborator, National Innovation Foundation (NIF), Ahmedabad. The first case is a social open innovation firm case while the second case is a social open innovation policy case. Through deep case study, we found out the ways of success of social open innovation strategy and social open innovation policy.

On the Science and Technology Innovation in the Macroeconomic Framework

2010 ◽  
Vol 40-41 ◽  
pp. 433-437
Author(s):  
Xia Lu
Keyword(s):  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Technology Innovation ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Science And Technology Policies ◽  
Technology Policies ◽  
Mode Of Production

Science and technology innovation is the power of enterprise development, since the 1980s, A series of science and technology policies have been formulated according to the needs in different periods. Because the policy varies in different circumstances, science and technology innovation environment, such as social innovation atmosphere, information and service supply still depend on the creation of local authority. Therefore, this paper defines the framework of the technology innovation, takes up the countermeasure of improving local innovation in science and technology, including: create favorable policy environment, and build scientific and technological innovation atmosphere, guide the limited resources, technology intermediary market, so as to coordinate and support local technology innovation and achieve the goal of the coordinate development of the science& technology, economy and society. Technological innovation is the originality of scientific research and technological innovation, refers to the floorboard of creation and application of new technology, new knowledge, new technology, using the new mode of production and management model, and develop new products, improve product quality, provide the new service process. Macro frame is refers to the macro-control of laws, regulations and policies, China national science and technology innovation policy innovation of science and technology is the place where, macro frame to support science and technology innovation in the science and technology to implement national policy.

The role of social innovation policy in social service sector reform: Evidence from Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
CHEE HON CHAN ◽  
CHERYL HIU-KWAN CHUI ◽  
YANTO CHANDRA
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Historical Factors ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Service Sector

Abstract This article illustrates how the term “social innovation” is used in the public policy domain in Hong Kong in relation to the new public management (NPM) reform of the social service sector, which originated in the early 2000s. Through document reviews and interviews, the role that social innovation policy has played in instigating changes in the contemporary social service field in the post-NPM era is identified. This includes facilitating emergence of “new” forms of social entrepreneurial activities to fill unmet social needs, empowering new actors in entering the social service sector, and reinforcing the government’s position in the NPM reform. Adopting historical institutionalism as the analytical framework, multiple path-dependent characteristics arising from the historical legacies of the incumbent social service environment – such as the longstanding partnership between the state and non-profits – are highlighted. These historical factors have weakened the efficacy of the policy efforts aimed at enacting institutional change. Overall, this article demonstrates how historical context matters in the emergence and framing of social innovation policy. It contributes to the theorisation of the role of social innovation in social service sector development in East Asia.

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