CONFERENCE ON SOCIAL INNOVATION AND SOCIAL POLICY EXPERIMENTATION European Commission DG EMPLOYMENT Brussels, Crown Plaza Hotel 26 November, 2012 Elements of a Social Innovation Strategy for the EU Josef Hochgerner Zentrum für Soziale Innovation Why SOCIAL Innovation? Evolution of Brains Social change, development, crisis and Grand Challenges : Resources and solutions Innovative Technologies Collaborative intelligence& intelligent collaboration Social Innovations >> Cultural Evolution
WHY SOCIAL INNOVATION NOW? Innovations embedded in social change The most famous steam engine - Optimised by James watt, 1776 Humans by Design : Optimisation in the 21 st c.? Pressures Work-load Standardisation Weak ties in social relations: Flexibility Acceleration speed kills Work-Life Balance Brave New World : Optimisation of human bevaiour in social systems 20th century Theoretical considerations An analytical definition of Social Innovation *) Social innovations are new practices for resolving societal challenges, which are adopted and utilized by the individuals, social groups and organizations concerned. Distinction between idea and implementation: an idea becomes an innovation in the process of social implementation it changes and improves social practices *) Zentrum für Soziale Innovation, 2012: All innovations are socially relevant ZSI-DiscussionPaper 13, p. 2,... with reference to Schumpeter: They are»new combinations of social practices«
The making of social innovation The 4-i process : Ideation >> What s the issue, what could be the solution? Intervention >> Conceptualisation, find methods and allies Implementation >> Overcoming resistance, stakeholders, life cycle! Impact >> Not necessarily good, nor for the whole of society Ideation Intervention Implementation Impact Three perspectives to analyse objectives and impact: the social demand perspective, the societalchallenges perspective, and the systemic change perspective. Agnès Hubert et al. (BEPA Bureau of European Policy Advisors) Empowering people driving change. Social Innovation in the European Union. http://ec.europa.eu/bepa/pdf/publications_pdf/social_innovation.pdf Elements of a European Union Strategy 1: Topical areas Objectives in critical sectors of social development (1) Social demand perspective: Employment EU2020: 75% of theworkforce - Immediate issue: YOUTH unemployment! support programmes country by country EU Budget, structural funds? Education EU2020: Reducingschooldrop-outratesbelow10% and enabling 40% of age cohorts to complete third level education - Inter-generational learning, flexible schooling, training and re-training SocialServices EU2020: Reducingthenumberof peoplein orat riskof Poverty and Social Exclusion by 20 million - MDG (Millennium Development Goals) - Social innovation programmes for social service providers, national and European levels: Analysis, objectives, measures, implementation, assessment
Elements of a European Union Strategy 2: Topical areas Objectives in critical sectors of social development (2) Societal challenges perspective: Ageing - Co-ordination of policies (social, economic and education policies) for all generations - Reform of pension systems: consider birth rights, prevention and participation instead of insurances Migration integration diversity: - Balancing within the European Union, inclusion policies combined with focused re-structuring of 3rd-country support measures Climatechange - Focal points in ERDF, ESF, Cohesion Fund, DG ENV, DG REGIO... - Key issues are awareness, analysis, adaptation Elements of a European Union Strategy 3: Topical areas(3) Systemicchangeperspective newpriorities, innovationculture, and changing frames of reference: Financialisation ( theproblembehindtheproblems, F.-J. Radermacher): - Financialization is a pattern of accumulation in which profit making occurs increasingly through financial channels rather than through trade and commodity production (Krippner, Greta, 2004: What is Financialization? ; mimeo, UCLA Dpmt. of Sociology, p. 14.) - It leads to depletion of productive economic resources due to financialisation Perhaps the most needed social innovation of the 21st century: Management of abundance Stop & reverse financialisation for SMART GROWTH Consider forms of money circulation without interest and compound interest (as applied in cases of regional currencies and historic examples) Energy and resources 20% lessgreenhousegas emissions, 20% increasein energy efficiency, 20% of energy from renewable resources - Energy for all, distributed/shared innovations, prevention of lock-in situations: cf. The Hartwell Paper, 2010: www2.lse.ac.uk/researchandexpertise/units/mackinder/thehartwellpaper/home.aspx Democracy/ solidarity what future to the EU: Federal state, trans-national entity, relapse into rising nationalism and dissolution? Institutions and inclusion of citizens
Elements of a European Union Strategy 4: Research (1) Innovating innovation by research 100 years after Schumpeter* Vienna, Sept. 19-21, 2011 www.socialinnovation2011.eu What is required from social science to meet the high expectations in social innovation? Elaboration on the particular features of the concept and definition Embedding the concept of social innovation in a comprehensive theory of innovation Development of coherent methodologies to identify and measure social innovations Prioritised research topics (14 selected out of 56 by conference participants) next slide Elements of a European Union Strategy 5: Research (2) Key issues in science and research on social innovation Topical research areas according to the Vienna Declaration Educ. impacton quality of life LLL & socially active ageing Inclusion& integration Partic. combat of poverty Competencies of SSH Measuring, indicators Public sector The potential of SI Business, firms, soc. entr. Civil Society Socialmedia & communication Innovation in services Value creation ec/env/soc Processesof co-operation Workplace innovation
Elements of a European Union Strategy 6: Support Instruments with potentially major impact: Research and education:eu2020 on RTDI: 3% of GDP, Horizon2020, Structural Funds... plus: Establish the European School of Social Innovation to boost research, education and training Initial elements in place: European School of Social Innovation (ESSI) AT, DE, ES Course of study M.A. in Social Innovation Danube University Krems (AT), in collaboration with ZSI www.donau-uni.ac.at/masi Promotion and awareness raising: Continuation of www.socialinnovationeurope.eu Roadshow through Member States NEW starting 2012-2013»The first academic education of social innovators«network of European Social Innovation Cities (initial core: Tilburg, Bilbao, Dortmund, Vienna) Awards and Prize competitions for social innovations (examples www.sozialmarie.org [rewarding] and European Social Innovation Competition [initiating], http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/policy/socialinnovation/competition/index_en.htm) Direct funding and earmarked financial support to social innovation projects: Incubators for social innovation and start-up social enterprises Development of programmes to initiate and manage socially innovative regions Support learning from each other across Europe (evaluation and assessment of cases...) Thank you for your attention Prof. Dr. Josef Hochgerner Centre for Social Innovation Linke Wienzeile 246 A -1150 Vienna Tel. ++43.1.4950442 Fax. ++43.1.4950442-40 email: hochgerner@zsi.at http://www.zsi.at