Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T19:43:11.956Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social Innovation and Why it has Policy Significance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

David Adams  and
Michael Hess
David Adams
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania
Michael Hess
Affiliation:
The University of New South Wales
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Academic discussion of social challenges and the government interventions which might address them are overlooking social innovation as an option. Contemporary trends at the community-public management interface, however, show an upsurge of interest in social innovation as a way of simultaneously creating social benefit and economic opportunity. While this indicates that the idea has genuine substance our observation of international and Australian developments convinces us that there is now sufficient experience upon which to base an understanding of what social innovation is and why it has policy significance. In this article we identify some components of social innovation practice and indicate how these might be theorised into generally applicable models.

Keywords

Cluster theorycommunitycommunity strengtheningregional developmentsocial networkssocial capitalsocial innovationsocial policy
Type
Symposium: Innovation, Skills and Training
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , December 2010 , pp. 139 - 155
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2010

References

Andersson, T., Hanson, E., Serger, S. and Sorvik, J. (2004), The Cluster Policies Whitebook, IKED, Stockholm.Google Scholar
Alhert, C. (2009) Peer to peer finance: Are people the new banks?, NESTA, London, available: http://www.nesta.org.uk/peer-to-peer-finance-are-people-the-new-banks/ [accessed 5 May 2009].Google Scholar
ABS (2004) Australian Bureau of Statistics, Information Paper — Measuring Social Capital: an Australian Framework and Indicators, Cat. No. 1378.0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra.Google Scholar
Aydelot, P. (1986), Crise et Espace, Economica, Paris.Google Scholar
Berkman, L. and Glass, T. (2000) ‘Social integration, social networks, social support, and health’, in Berkman, L. and Kawachi, I. (eds), Social Epidemiology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 137–173.Google Scholar
Coleman, J.S. (1988) ‘Social capital in the creation of human capital’, American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95–S121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coleman, S. and Gotze, J. (2001) Bowling together: Online public engagement in policy deliberation, Hansard Society, London, available: http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/ [accessed 4 September 2004].Google Scholar
de V. Peters, R., Leadbeater, B. and McMahon, R. (2005), Resilience, Children, Families and Communities, Kluwer, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DPCD (2009) Department of Planning and Community Development, Victoria, The Victorian Government’s Action Plan: Strengthening community organisations, available: http://www.dvc.vic.gov.au/web14/dvc/dvcmain.nsf/allDocs/RWP3FD930299F664FE2CA25704A001BE2A2?OpenDocument [accessed 4 September 2009].Google Scholar
DCPD (2010) Strengthening local communities: A partnership approach to delivering school and community infrastructure in Melbourne’s growth areas, available: http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/ [accessed 6 September 2010].Google Scholar
FaCSIA (2008) Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Relationship matters: Mot-for-profit community organisations and corporate community investment, Canberra, FaCSIA, available: http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/communities/pubs/Documents/relationship_matters/default.htm [accessed 2 September 2009.Google Scholar
Fagerberg, J., Mowery, D., Nelson, R., (eds) (2005), The Oxford Handbook of Innovation, Oxford University Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Florida, R (2003), The Rise of the Innovative Class, Pluto Press, North Melbourne.Google Scholar
Gerard, D. (1985) ‘What makes a volunteer?’, New Society, 8 November, pp. 236–238.Google Scholar
Gilchrist, A. (2004) ‘Developing the well-connected community’, in McCarthy, H., Miller, P. and Skidmore, P., Network Logic Who Governs in an Interconnected World?, DEMOS, London, pp. 143–154.Google Scholar
Gomez, M. V. (1998) ‘Reflective images: The case of urban regeneration in Glasgow and Bilbao’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 22(1), pp. 106–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Granovetter, M. (1974), Getting a Job, Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA.Google Scholar
Harris, M. and Albury, D. (2009) The innovation imperative: Why radical innovation is needed to reinvent public services of the recession and beyond, NESTA, London., available: http://www.nesta.org.uk/the-innovation-imperative/ [accessed 8 May 2009].Google Scholar
Hess, M. and Adams, D. (2001) ‘Community in public policy: Fad or foundation?’, Australian Journal of Public Administration 60(2), pp. 13–23.Google Scholar
Hess, M. (2003) ‘Governance and knowledge in the Post-Market State’, Canberra Bulletin of Public Administration, 109, pp. 33–36.Google Scholar
Lanzonick, W. (2005) ‘The innovative firm’, in Fagerberg, J., Mowery, D. and Nelson, R. (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Innovation, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 29–55.Google Scholar
Lin, N. (2001), Social Capital: A Theory of Social Structure and Action, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lyons, M. (2001), The Third Sector: The Contribution of Nonprofit and Cooperative Enterprise in Australia, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest.Google Scholar
Mulgan, G. (2006) Social innovation: What it is, why it matters, how it can be accelerated, The Young Foundation, London, available: http://www.youngfoundation.org.uk/work/research/social_innovation [accessed 17 April 2008].Google Scholar
Mulgan, G. (2007) Ready or not? Taking innovation in the public sector seriously, NESTA, London, available: http://www.nesta.org.uk/ready-or-not-taking-innovation-in-the-public-sector-seriously/ [accessed 25 May 2009].Google Scholar
OECD (2001) The Well-Being of Nations: The role of Human and Social Capital, OECD, Paris, available: http://www1.oecd.org/publications/e-book/9601011E.PDF [accessed 22 November 2004].Google Scholar
OECD (2005), Building Competitive Regions: Strategies and Governance, OECD, Paris.Google Scholar
OECD (2006) The New Rural Paradigm: Policies and Governance, OECD, Paris, available: http://www.oecd.org/document/7/0,3343,en_2649_33735_37015431_1_1_1_1,00.html, [accessed 20 December 2009].Google Scholar
O’Shaughnessy, N. (1996) ‘Michael Porter’s Competitive Advantage revisited’, Management Decision, 34(6), pp. 12–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pope, J. and Lewis, J. (2008) ‘Improving partnership governance: Using a network approach to evaluate partnerships in Victoria’, Australian Journal of Public Administration, 67(4), pp. 443–456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porter, M. (1990), The Competitive Advantage of Nations, The Free Press, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porter, M. (1998) The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Harvard Business School, Boston, Second edition.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Productivity Commission (2003), Social Capital: Reviewing the Concept and its Policy Implications, Australian Productivity Commission, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Productivity Commission (2006), Innovation in Australia, Australian Productivity Commission, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Rainnie, A. and Grobbelaar, M., (eds) (2004), New Regionalism in Australia, Ashgate, Burlington VT.Google Scholar
Rosenberg, N. (1982), Inside the Black Box: Technology and Economics, Cambridge University Press, New York.Google Scholar
Rutherford, J. (1998), Identity, Community, Culture, Difference, Lawrence and Wishart Ltd, New York.Google Scholar
Schumpeter, J. (1939), Business Cycles: A Theoretical, Historical and Statistical Analysis of the Capitalist Process, McGraw-Hill, New York.Google Scholar
Smyth, P., Reddell, T. and Jones, A., (eds) (2005), Community and Local Governance in Australia, UNSW Press, Sydney.Google Scholar
South Australia (2009) People and community at the heart of systems and bureaucracy, Adelaide, Government of South Australia, available: http://www.socialinclusion.sa.gov.au/files/SA_SII_book_2009.pdf [accessed 4 September 2009].Google Scholar
Stubbs, W. and Cocklin, C. (2007) ‘Co-operative, community-spirited and commercial: Social sustainability at the Bendigo Bank’, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 14(5), pp. 251–262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Szreter, S. and Woolcock, M. (2004) ‘Health by association? Social capital, social theory, and the political economy of public health’, International Journal of Epidemiology, 33(4), pp. 1–18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
The Smith Family (2007) Our history, 85th birthday special report series, 2007, available: http://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/webdata/resources/files/85thHistory.pdf [accessed 1 September 2010].Google Scholar
Tomison, A. M. (1996) Child maltreatment and substance abuse, National Child Protection Clearing House Discussion Paper No 2, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Vinson, T., Baldry, E. and Hargreaves, J. (1996) ‘Neighbourhoods, networks and child abuse’, British Journal of Social Work, 26(4), pp. 523–543.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vinson, T. (2004), Community Adversity and Resilience: The Distribution of Social Disadvantage in Victoria and New South Wales and the Mediating Role of Social Cohesion, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Ward, K. G. (1996) ‘Coalitions in urban regeneration: A regime approach’, Environment and Planning, 28(8), pp. 1493–1506.Google Scholar
Young, E and Glasgow, N. (1998) ‘Voluntary social participation and health’, Research on Aging, 20(3), pp. 339–362.Google Scholar