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Social innovation, an answer to contemporary societal challenges? Locating the concept in theory and practice
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In this paper, the authors argue that the concept of social innovation has been stretched in so many directions that it is at breaking point and argue that what is needed is more theoretical and empirical work to help social innovation to develop into an effective policy tool.Abstract:
Social innovation discourses see in social challenges opportunities to make societies more sustainable and cohesive through inclusive practices, coproduction and pro-active grassroots initiatives. In this paper we are concerned first that the concept has been stretched in so many directions that it is at breaking point. We illustrate this by documenting the varied uses of social innovation in different academic and policy discourses. Second, we assume that, if social innovation is to be a useful concept for policy-makers, then it must tell us something about what adjustments are needed to develop an effective political economy that is social innovation ready. Finally, we argue that what is needed is more theoretical and empirical work to help social innovation to develop into an effective policy tool.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
THE MORAL CONSEQUENCES OF ECONOMIC GROWTH by Benjamin M. Friedman
TL;DR: The problem of economic disappointment is that our conventional thinking about economic growth fails to reflect the breadth of what growth, or its absence, means for a society as mentioned in this paper. But the tangible improvements in the basics of life that make economic growth so important whenever living standards are low, such as greater life expectancy, fewer diseases, less infant mortality and malnutrition, have mostly been played out long before a country's per capita income reaches the levels enjoyed in today's advanced industrialized economies.
Journal ArticleDOI
Unplugging: Deconstructing the Smart City
Igor Calzada,Cristóbal Cobo +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the notion of unplugging to critically analyze the technological determinism of the smart city and suggest that being digitally connected should not be perceived as gaining social capital.
Journal ArticleDOI
The role of community leadership in the development of grassroots innovations
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of community leadership in the development of grassroots innovations is analyzed via two in-depth community energy cases in the UK and community leadership benefits from being embedded into social networks, shared vision and decision making, but pre-existing skills and tacit knowledge also play a role.
Journal ArticleDOI
Identifying social innovations in European local rural development initiatives
Gary Bosworth,Fulvio Rizzo,Doris Marquardt,Dirk Strijker,Tialda Haartsen,Annette Aagaard Thuesen +5 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a Schumpeterian social innovation framework is derived as the basis for re-analysing data from previous evaluations of LEADER policy in five different national contexts, identifying different processes and outcomes that create social value.
References
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Book
Diffusion of Innovations
TL;DR: A history of diffusion research can be found in this paper, where the authors present a glossary of developments in the field of Diffusion research and discuss the consequences of these developments.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Strength of Weak Ties
TL;DR: In this paper, it is argued that the degree of overlap of two individuals' friendship networks varies directly with the strength of their tie to one another, and the impact of this principle on diffusion of influence and information, mobility opportunity, and community organization is explored.
Journal ArticleDOI
Diffusion of innovations
TL;DR: Upon returning to the U.S., author Singhal’s Google search revealed the following: in January 2001, the impeachment trial against President Estrada was halted by senators who supported him and the government fell without a shot being fired.
Book
A Theory of Human Motivation
Abstract: 1. The integrated wholeness of the organism must be one of the foundation stones of motivation theory. 2. The hunger drive (or any other physiological drive) was rejected as a centering point or model for a definitive theory of motivation. Any drive that is somatically based and localizable was shown to be atypical rather than typical in human motivation. 3. Such a theory should stress and center itself upon ultimate or basic goals rather than partial or superficial ones, upon ends rather than means to these ends. Such a stress would imply a more central place for unconscious than for conscious motivations. 4. There are usually available various cultural paths to the same goal. Therefore conscious, specific, local-cultural desires are not as fundamental in motivation theory as the more basic, unconscious goals. 5. Any motivated behavior, either preparatory or consummatory, must be understood to be a channel through which many basic needs may be simultaneously expressed or satisfied. Typically an act has more than one motivation. 6. Practically all organismic states are to be understood as motivated and as motivating. 7. Human needs arrange themselves in hierarchies of prepotency. That is to say, the appearance of one need usually rests on the prior satisfaction of another, more pre-potent need. Man is a perpetually wanting animal. Also no need or drive can be treated as if it were isolated or discrete; every drive is related to the state of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of other drives. 8. Lists of drives will get us nowhere for various theoretical and practical reasons. Furthermore any classification of motivations
Book
The rise of the network society
TL;DR: The Rise of the Network Society as discussed by the authors is an account of the economic and social dynamics of the new age of information, which is based on research in the USA, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, it aims to formulate a systematic theory of the information society which takes account of fundamental effects of information technology on the contemporary world.