Social innovation futures: beyond policy panacea and conceptual ambiguity

Social innovation is once more an increasingly popular notion circulating as an apparent means to solve the Grand Challenges of the 21st Century. But this common-sense idea of social innovation is based on a quasi-concept, where processes of innovation are absent. To restore some academic rigour to this important concept, we argue more attention need be paid to these innovation processes in social innovation, and that there is value in using innovation concepts drawn from other areas of innovation studies (disruptive innovation, innovation systems, institutional innovation and socio-technical transitions) in highlighting how small-scale social experiments can ultimately lead to the solution of pressing societal problems. Through a subtle critique of the current policy conception of social innovation, it is possible for the field of Innovation Studies in general to help provide better insights into social innovation processes and ultimately to lead to better support frameworks and interventions for promoting solutions to these Grand Challenges.We would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Eu-SPRI Forum for our exploratory project “Social innovation futures: beyond policy panacea and conceptual ambiguity” for developing the ideas in this paper.Peer reviewe

Interregional Cooperation and Smart Specialisation: a Lagging Regions Perspective

This report has been prepared as part of the Lagging Regions project of the JRC. In the 2021-2027 programming period, smart specialisation strategies will be required to meet a series of fulfilment criteria around the relevant "enabling condition" of good governance. One such criterion relates to international collaboration, or measures for enhancing cooperation with partners in different countries in areas designated as priority areas for smart specialisation. The potential for Lagging Regions to participate in interregional and international cooperation remains under-exploited, and this report determines specific challenges as well as potential benefits and opportunities that are relevant for low-growth and low-income regions. An exploration of interregional and international cooperation aims to contribute to a better understanding of its role in strengthening innovation ecosystems and its interaction with Smart Specialisation in the context of Lagging Regions.JRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

Social innovation as institutional innovation

Trabajo presentado a la Annual Conference of the EU-SPRI Forum: "Innovation policies for economic and social transitions: Developing strategies for knowledge, practices and organizations" celebrada en Helsinki (Finlandia) del 9 al 12 de junio de 2015.Common understanding of Social Innovation (SI) as an essential component in policy discourses to solve the so-called Grand Challenges of the 21st Century confronts the need to answer the remaining ‘desperate quest for a definition’ (Djellal & Gallouj, 2012: p. 121). SI has become ‘overdetermined’ that is, associated with a variety of meanings and interpretations rooted in a diversity of disciplines and faces the risk of having its validity challenged (Laclau & Mouffe, 1985). From the theoretical perspectives of science, technology and innovation studies, the EU-SPRI Exploratory study on Social Innovation Futures aspires to open academic debate to overcome current concerns surrounding ‘policy and chaotic’ views on the SI concept. Being the ‘innovation problem’ to understanding what affects innovation processes and how that shapes the change trajectories, the project aims to the nuclear question: How can SI be understood and interpreted as innovation process? (Benneworth et al., 2015). SI processes take parts of an emergent paradigm that needs to explicitly address the issue of purpose and direction of change where the social and technological components of innovation should not be seen as contradictory, but as inherently connected (Howaldt et al., 2014). This paradigm shift claims for a theory of socio-technological innovation and new answers on the nature and purposes of innovation in society (Edwards-Schachter et al., 2012; Benneworth & Cuhna, 2014). It is also intrinsic to policy orientations to deal with global ‘intractable problems’ or ‘global challenges’ which dates back several decades ago, like in the references in the Club of Rome report Limits to Growth (1972), which likewise explicitly names social innovation, in parallel to technical change, to change political processes and structures to favour a sustainable development. In this framework, this paper reviews the burgeoning literature that has developed in recent years a diversity of approaches on the role of institutions and institutional dynamic in innovation processes and explores their possible contributions and research avenues to SI1. The critical review attempts to examine important aspects and characteristics, which have so far remained rather latent, like institutional changes and legitimisation of SIs.Peer Reviewe

On concepts and methods in horizon scanning: Lessons from initiating policy dialogues on emerging issues

Future-oriented technology analysis methods can play a significant role in enabling early warning signal detection and pro-active policy action which will help to better prepare policy- and decision-makers in today's complex and inter-dependent environments. This paper analyses the use of different horizon scanning approaches and methods as applied in the Scanning for Emerging Science and Technology Issues project. A comparative analysis is provided as well as a brief evaluation the needs of policy-makers if they are to identify areas in which policy needs to be formulated. This paper suggests that the selection of the best scanning approaches and methods is subject to contextual and content issues. At the same time, there are certain issues which characterise horizon scanning processes, methods and results that should be kept in mind by both practitioners and policy-maker

On concepts and methods in horizon scanning : lessons from initiating policy dialogues on emerging issues

Erworben im Rahmen der Schweizer Nationallizenzen (http://www.nationallizenzen.ch)Future-oriented technology analysis methods can play a significant role in enabling early warning signal detection and pro-active policy action which will help to better prepare policy- and decision-makers in today’s complex and inter-dependent environments. This paper analyses the use of different horizon scanning approaches and methods as applied in the Scanning for Emerging Science and Technology Issues project. A comparative analysis is provided as well as a brief evaluation the needs of policy-makers if they are to identify areas in which policy needs to be formulated. This paper suggests that the selection of the best scanning approaches and methods is subject to contextual and content issues. At the same time, there are certain issues which characterise horizon scanning processes, methods and results that should be kept in mind by both practitioners and policy-makers

An RRI for the Present Moment: Relational and ‘well-up’ innovation

The ultimate framing of the first iteration of RRI as enabling smart, inclusive, sustainable growth had as much to do with the financial crisis then engulfing the Eurozone as meeting the goals of the Lisbon Treaty. Now we have come to the end of Horizon 2020, it is presently unclear how RRI will continue to be addressed as it is mainstreamed into Horizon Europe. In this Perspective, we will argue that discussions about placing responsibility at the centre of innovation should not solely be aimed at promoting GDP-measured growth. Our vision must be longer, more global, more transformative. In this short piece, we explore the possibilities arising through extending ‘responsibility’ to an a-growth approach to innovation, one which emphasises the relational dimensions of responsible innovation through the concept of ‘well up’ economics