Whatissocialinnovation?Andwhyisitpoliticallyrelevant?

FrankMoulaertandJeanHillier

KATARSIScoordinators

!  Theriseofsocialinnovationasaconceptinscienceandasareferenceinsocio‐politicalmobilization

! Whatissocialinnovation?Socialtransformation,socialeconomy,socialinnovation?

!  Socialinnovationinscientificdisciplinesanddimensionsofanalysis

!  Itspolitico‐ideologicalsignificance!  Spacesandplacesofsocialinnovation!  Policyopportunities!  References

SCEPTICISM:!  Fashion:forthelastfiveyearsthetermhasbecomeubiquitous

andusedintoomanymeanings!  Polishingthe‘blazon’ofthebusinessworld?CSR,Green

economy,CorporateGovernance,…!  Fromactivetocheapactivewelfarestate?…

RELEVANTOPTIMISM:!  Challengingtechnologicalinnovationinbusinesspracticeand

innovationliterature!  Socio‐politicalmobilizing:‘slogan’oreven‘marchingorder’–

OpportunitytorevitalizetheWelfarestate?Todemocratizeit?!  Growingsynergieswithartsandcreativity!  Scientificconceptinsocialscience!  Revivalofsolidarityethics

Afewdefinitions…

•  SINGOCOM(ALMOLIN,2005:Moulaertetal.1990):Socialinnovationispathdependentandcontextual.Itreferstothosechangesinagendas,agencyandinstitutionsthatleadtoa

betterinclusionofexcludedgroupsandindividualsintovariousspheresofsocietyatvariousspatialscales.Socialinnovationisverystronglyamatterofprocessinnovation,i.e.changesinthedynamicsofsocialrelations,includingpowerrelations.

[…]associalinnovationisaboutsocialinclusion,itisalsoaboutcounteringorovercomingconservativeforcesthatareeagertostrengthenorpreservesocialexclusionsituations.

[….]socialinnovationthereforeexplicitlyreferstoanethicalpositionofsocialjustice.Thelatterisofcoursesusceptibletoavarietyofinterpretationsandwillinpracticeoftenbetheoutcomeofsocialconstruction.

•  MichaelMumford:“…thegenerationandimplementationofnewideasaboutsocialrelationshipsandsocialorganization.”(2002,p.253)

•  Chambon,DavidetDevevey:“desinnovationssociales”…“despratiquesvisantplusoumoinsdirectementàpermettreàunindividu‐ouàungrouped’individus‐deprendreenchargeunbesoinsocial‐ouunensembledebesoins‐n’ayantpastrouvéderéponsessatisfaisantesparailleurs”(1982,p.8)

DimensionsofSI

Sciencedisciplines

Purposeofinitiativesandagencies

Organizationalchanges

Roleofspecialagents,leadership

Roleofpathdependency

Howtobridgetensionsbetweenethicalnormsand‘reality’?

BusinessandManagementscience

Socialcoherencetoboostreturns

Improvesocialcapital–Democratisedecision‐makingsystems

InnovationAgentsculturedbytheorganization

Roleofhistoryofbusinessadmin.,roleofnetworks

Co‐learningNormaliserelationshipsbetweenleadersandworkers

Heterodoxeconomics

Integratesocialandecologicalgoalsintobusinessagendas

Ex:humanrelationsonthejob,creationofcooperatives

Collectivemulti‐purposeleadership

Tensionsbetweenoldeconomicprinciplesandnewones

Betterembedmentoffirmwithinitssocietalenvironment

Artsandcreativity

Socio‐culturalemancipationSharedsymbols

Socio‐culturallearningdynamicsCommunitybuilding

Roleofartistsandemblematicartprojects

CulturalheritageHistoriccommunities

Artsasaboundaryliftingactandprocess

SocialInnovationinscientificdisciplinesanddimensionsofanalysis(examples)

DimensionsofSI

Sciencedisciplines

Purposeofinitiativesandagencies

Organizationalchanges

Roleofspecialagents,leadership

Roleofpathdependency

Howtobridgetensionsbetweenethicalnormsand‘reality’?

IntegratedAreaDevelopment

Satisfactionofhumanneeds

…inconnectionwithinnovationinsocialrelations(esp.governancerelations)

Yesbutmorestressonroleofcommunityandcollectiveleadership

Sociallyreproducedcharacterofsocialinnovation

NegotiationInstitutionaldesignJointlearningProtestmovements

GovernanceandPublicAdministration

Efficient,transparent,democraticgovernanceandadministration

ReducehierarchyNetworkcommunication

Civilsocietysocialmovements

Surpassbureaucraticrigidityandpolitical‘cenaclism’

Finetuningoforganizationalstructureswithdesireddemocracy

SocialInnovationinscientificdisciplinesanddimensionsofanalysis(2)

•  Aclearmobilisingpowerinreactiontoeconomisticandtechnologistinterpretationsofinnovation

•  …andinreactiontoprivatizationdiscourseandpractice•  …fillingthegapbetweenthefarewelltopublicmanand

theriseofcommunitarianism?•  Reactiontoalienation,exclusion,deprivation,poverty

(materialandethicaldimension)•  “Micro”ethics:reactiontonewpublicmanagementstyle,

bureaucratictaylorism,workorganizationcodesandpracticesandhowtheyhavealienatedhumanrelationsonandofftheworklfloor.

•  QuiteoftenSIisabout‘(re)movingboundaries’:socialboundaries,politicalboundaries,mentalboundaries:reconfiguringidentities,buildingofcommunityidentity,re‐appropriating(public)spacethroughsocialmobilizationandsocio‐politicalaction

•  The(re)movingofboundariesshouldalsobetakenliterally:

 Space(spatialforms,boundaries,reconfigurations,networks,…)andPlace(localidentityrebuilding,defragmentationofurbanspace,…)areoutcomesofsocialinnovationprocessesorstrategies. VeryoftenPlaceandSpaceareattheheartofthesocialinnovationstrategiesthemselves:neighbourhoodcooperation,neighbourhooddevelopmentagencieswithaspatialintegrationagenda(e.g.spatialconnectionofhousingandpublicspacefunctions),collectivedecision‐makingonspatialityofgovernancedynamics,etc. Placeandwiderspatialrelationsshouldbeconsideredtogether:

‐alternativesupplychainsasspacesofsocialinnovationnetworkinglocalcommunitiestakingpartinsocialandsolidaryeconomy

‐microcreditcommunitiesworkbestwhenaccompaniedwithsocialinnovationinlocalandsupra‐localgovernanceofcreditinstitutions

!  TheECholdsarichportfolioofgoodpracticeinSI(‘best’practiceonlyexistsinparadise,ornoteventhere):UrbanI,LEADER,adiversityofCommunityInitiatives,ProfessionalTraining,Co‐learningnetworksinvariouspolicyfields,…

!  ButitincreasinglygoeswrongwiththeinstitutionalleverageofSI:liberalizationofmarketsforpublicservicesleadstolossofquality,compressionofinnovativeopportunitiesandfurtherexclusionofdeprivedcitizens

!  LearningthroughKATARSIS?

Policyopportunities

TypeofSocialInnovation

“Scale”

“Finalité” Governance Institutionalleverage

Neighbourhood(SINGOCOMbook)

Olinda:socialeconomy,emancipation

Self‐managementandwider‐areanetworking

LegalchangesSupportnetworks

City Lawaetzstiftung:projectdevelopmentconsultant

ButalsoDistrictAgencyconnectingtoHamburgurbanpolicygovernance

Goodpracticeproliferator‘Connector’withEuropeaninstitutions

Region NegotiateddevelopmentagendaforRegion(SocialRegion)

SociallyInnovativeRegion

Networkofsociallyinnovativeinstitutions

Policyopportunities(Examples)

http://katarsis.ncl.ac.uk/

http://www.socialpolis.eu/

http://users.skynet.be/frank.moulaert/singocom/

•  FrankMoulaertetJacquesNussbaumer(2008)Lalogiquesocialedudéveloppementterritorial.Pressesdel’UniversitéduQuébec

•  DianaMacCallum,FrankMoulaert,JeanHillierandSerenaVicarieds.(2009)SocialInnovationandTerritorialDevelopment.Ashgate

•  SerenaVicariandFrankMoulaerteds.(2009)Ri‐GenerarelaCittà.Pratichediinnovazionesocialenellecittàeuropee.IlMulino.

References