The International Handbook on Social Innovation
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The International Handbook on Social Innovation

Collective Action, Social Learning and Transdisciplinary Research

9781782545590 Edward Elgar Publishing
Edited by Frank Moulaert, Emeritus Professor of Spatial Planning, P&D, Faculty of Engineering, KU Leuven, Belgium, Diana MacCallum, Senior Lecturer, Urban and Regional Planning, School of Design and Built Environment, Curtin University, Western Australia, Abid Mehmood, Research Fellow, Sustainable Places Research Institute, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, UK and Abdelillah Hamdouch, University of Tours, France
Publication Date: 2014 ISBN: 978 1 78254 559 0 Extent: 528 pp
The contributors provide an overview of theoretical perspectives, methodologies and instructive experiences from all continents, as well as implications for collective action and policy. They argue strongly for social innovation as a key to human development. The Handbook defines social innovation as innovation in social relations within both micro and macro spheres, with the purpose of satisfying unmet or new human needs across different layers of society. It connects social innovation to empowerment dynamics, thus giving a political character to social movements and bottom-up governance initiatives. Together these should lay the foundations for a fairer, more democratic society for all.

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This enriching Handbook covers many aspects of the scientific and socio-political debates on social innovation today.

The contributors provide an overview of theoretical perspectives, methodologies and instructive experiences from all continents, as well as implications for collective action and policy. They argue strongly for social innovation as a key to human development. The Handbook defines social innovation as innovation in social relations within both micro and macro spheres, with the purpose of satisfying unmet or new human needs across different layers of society. It connects social innovation to empowerment dynamics, thus giving a political character to social movements and bottom-up governance initiatives. Together these should lay the foundations for a fairer, more democratic society for all.

This interdisciplinary work, written by scholars collaborating to develop a joint methodological perspective toward social innovation agency and processes, will be invaluable for students and researchers in social science and humanities. It will also appeal to policy makers, policy analysts, lobbyists and activists seeking to give inspiration and leadership from a social innovation perspective.
Critical Acclaim
‘Moulaert, MacCallum, Mehmood and Hamdouch''s International Handbook on Social Innovation is a refreshing and stimulating contribution to Edward Elgar''s line of handbooks, appropriate for primarily academics and graduate students researching social innovation, through theoretically oriented practitioners interested in the topic will find much to learn from the book as well.’
– Gordon Shockley, Journal of Regional Science

‘The challenges of poverty and social exclusion cannot be fully resolved through conventional public sector policies and market-led innovation. The case studies in this Handbook capture some of the key success factors of socially innovative action in different socio-economic contexts. This Handbook will inspire readers as it highlights the creativity and commitment of diverse enterprises and movements working for social innovation.’
– Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements, United Republic of Tanzania, and retired UN Under Secretary General, immediate former Executive Director of UN-HABITAT

‘Social innovation may not be a new idea but it is clearly an idea whose time has come, not least because the traditional models of innovation – narrowly framed technical models – have run their course and no longer resonate in a world of societal challenges. This Handbook has two great merits – it brings conceptual rigour to the debate and it provides compelling narratives of social innovation in practice.’
– Kevin Morgan, Cardiff University, UK

‘In an era where social innovation is re-emerging as an important policy framework for bringing social transformation, this volume is a significant contribution to the theory and practice of social innovation. The incremental discussion from concepts to theory to practice and then to social innovation research is supported by cases literally from all over the globe. It moves the discourse from isolated models of neighbourhood engagements and social enterprises, to a comprehensive, multidimensional approach combining needs, social relations and empowerment. A must read for academicians, learners, practitioners and policy makers alike.’
– S. Parasuraman, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India

‘Social innovation is an important instrument for understanding how contemporary societies deal with social change and how social practices and policies intended to combat poverty and social exclusion are developed and implemented effectively. The Handbook offers a valuable contribution to the development of a clear, transdisciplinary and critical understanding of social innovation practices. The reader will find an in-depth discussion of the most important theoretical approaches to the concept and a thorough exposition of the epistemological and methodological framework for research in social innovation. The volume includes a number of interesting case studies in different areas of social change and issues of policy and governance.’
– Enzo Mingione, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy
Contributors
Contributors: A. Abreu, J. Andersen, I. André, L. Arthur, A. Ashta, A. Bilfeldt, I. Calzada, S. Cameron, A. Carmo, K. Dayson, P. Debruyne, J. Defourny, K. Delica, A. Dubeux, S. Eizaguirre Anglada, V. Espinoza, A.C. Fernandes, J.-M. Fontan, L. Fraisse, M.S. Frandsen, M. García Cabeza, R. Gera, J.K. Gibson-Graham, S. Habersack, A. Hamdouch, D. Harrisson, S. Hettihewa, J. Hillier, L. Hulgård, B. Jessop, J.-L. Klein, H. Konstantatos, N.V. Krishna, N. Kunnen, B. Lévesque, D. MacCallum, F. Martinelli, A. Mehmood, A. Membretti, E. Midheme, F. Moulaert, A. Novy, M. Nyssens, S. Oosterlynck, C. Parra, T. Pilati, M. Pradel Miquel, G. Roelvink, B. Schaller, P.K. Shajahan, D. Siatitsa, P. Singer, C. Tornaghi, D.-G. Tremblay, D. Vaiou, P. Van den Broeck, B. Van Dyck, S. Vicari Haddock, T. Vitale, C. Wright, S. Young
Contents
Contents:

General Introduction: The Return of Social Innovation as a Scientific Concept and a Social Practice
Frank Moulaert, Diana MacCallum, Abid Mehmood and Abdelillah Hamdouch

PART I: SOCIAL INNOVATION: FROM CONCEPT TO THEORY AND PRACTICE
Introduction: Social Innovation at the Crossroads between Science, Economy and Society
Juan-Luis Klein

1. Social Innovation: Intuition, Precept, Concept, Theory and Practice
Frank Moulaert, Diana MacCallum and Jean Hillier

2. Social Innovation in Governance and Public Management Systems: Toward a New Paradigm?
Benoît Lévesque

3. Social Innovation, Social Economy and Social Enterprise: What Can the European Debate Tell Us?
Jacques Defourny and Marthe Nyssens

4. Social Innovation in an Unsustainable World
Abid Mehmood and Constanza Parra

5. Social Innovation through Arts and Creativity
Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay and Thomas Pilati

6. Microcredit as a Social Innovation
Arvind Ashta, Karl Dayson, Rajat Gera, Samanthala Hettihewa, N.V. Krishna and Christopher Wright

7. Social Innovation for People-Centred Development
Lars Hulgård and P.K. Shajahan

PART II: SOCIAL INNOVATION THEORY: ITS ROLE IN KNOWLEDGE BUILDING
Introduction: Social Innovation – An Idea Longing for Theory
Stijn Oosterlynck

8. Social Innovation Research: A New Stage in Innovation Analysis?
Bob Jessop, Frank Moulaert, Lars Hulgård and Abdelillah Hamdouch

9. Social Innovation: A Territorial Process
Barbara Van Dyck and Pieter Van den Broeck

10. Social Sustainability: A Competing Concept to Social Innovation?
Constanza Parra

11. Theorizing Multi-level Governance in Social Innovation Dynamics
Marc Pradel Miquel, Marisol García Cabeza and Santiago Eizaguirre Anglada

12. Towards a Deleuzean-inspired Methodology for Social Innovation Research and Practice
Jean Hillier

PART III: INSTRUCTIVE CASE STUDIES IN SOCIAL INNOVATION ANALYSIS
Introduction: Social Innovation Experience and Action as a Lead for Research
Stuart Cameron

13. Just Another Roll of the Dice: A Socially Creative Initiative to Assure Roma Housing in North Western Italy
Tommaso Vitale and Andrea Membretti

14. From ‘Book Container’ to Community Centre
John Andersen, Kristian Delica and Martin Severin Frandsen

15. Venturing Off the Beaten Path: Social Innovation and Settlement Upgrading in Voi, Kenya
Emmanuel Midheme

16. Knowledge Building and Organizational Behavior: The Mondragón Case from a Social Innovation Perspective
Igor Calzada

17. Going Beyond Physical Urban Planning Interventions: Fostering Social Innovation through Urban Renewal in Brugse Poort, Ghent
Stijn Oosterlynck and Pascal Debruyne

18. Social Innovation through the Arts in Rural Areas: The Case of Montemor-o-Novo
Isabel André, Alexandre Abreu and André Carmo

PART IV: SOCIAL INNOVATION ANALYSIS: METHODOLOGIES
Introduction: ‘Reality’ as a Guide for SI Research Methods?
Abdelillah Hamdouch

19. A Transversal Reading of Social Innovation in European Cities
Serena Vicari Haddock and Chiara Tornaghi

20. Qualitative Approaches for the Study of Socially Innovation Initiatives
Haris Konstantatos, Dimitra Siatitsa, Dina Vaiou

21. Research Strategies for Assets and Strengths Based Community Development
Nola Kunnen, Diana MacCallum and Susan Young

22. Technological Incubators of Solidarity Economy Initiatives: A Methodology for Promoting Social Innovation in Brazil
Ana Dubeux

23. Partnership-based Research: Coproduction of Knowledge and Contribution to Social Innovation
Jean-Marc Fontan, Denis Harrisson and Juan-Luis Klein

24. Social Innovation in Public Elder Care: The Role of Action Research
John Andersen and Annette Bilfeldt

25. Reflections on the Form and Content of Participatory Action Research and Implications for Social Innovation Research
Len Arthur

PART V: COLLECTIVE ACTION, INSTITUTIONAL LEVERAGE AND PUBLIC POLICY
Introduction: The Institutional Space for Social Innovation
Diana MacCallum

26. Learning from Case Studies of Social Innovation in the Field of Social Services: Creatively Balancing Top-down Universalism with Bottom-up Democracy
Flavia Martinelli

27. The Social and Solidarity-based Economy as a New Field of Public Action: A Policy and Method for Promoting Social Innovation
Laurent Fraisse

28. The Québec Model: A Social Innovation System Founded on Cooperation and Consensus Building
Juan-Luis Klein, Jean-Marc Fontan, Denis Harrisson and Benoît Lévesque

29. The Linkages between Popular Education and Solidarity Economy in Brazil: An Historical Perspective
Ana Cristina Fernandes, Andreas Novy and Paul Singer

30. Local Associations in Chile: Social Innovation in a Mature Neoliberal Society
Vicente Espinoza

31. Gender and Social Innovation: The Role of EU Policies
Isabel André

PART VI: FRONTIERS IN SOCIAL INNOVATION RESEARCH
Introduction: The Pillars of Social Innovation Research and Practice
Serena Vicari Haddock

32. Innovative Forms of Knowledge Production: Transdisciplinarity and Knowledge Alliances
Andreas Novy, Sarah Habersack and Barbara Schaller

33. Holistic Research Methodology and Pragmatic Collective Action
Frank Moulaert and Abid Mehmood

34. Social Innovation for Community Economies: How Action Research Creates ‘Other Worlds’
J.K. Gibson-Graham and Gerda Roelvink

35. Framing Social Innovation Research: A Sociology of Knowledge Perspective
Frank Moulaert and Barbara Van Dyck

Index
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