Search

Four games were designed as part of an autoethnographic, teacher research study conducted from 2013-2017 on the implementation of play-, game-, and design-based teaching and assessment. The study was conducted at two urban, independent, K-12 day schools with fewer than 500 and 100 students, respectively, and supported as part of a certification program in Serious Game Design & Research. Pirate Oasis, a six-week ecological engagement, human development game, and the first developed for the Games for Social Justice Course (G4J). Friendship Is Magic, a  Alternate Reality Game that was never played. #SaveOurGirls is a 3-hour forum game, simulation & workshop on combating human trafficking through public pedagogy. The experience is meant for 10-15 players and 30-60 audience members. Xplore LA, a location-based, geocaching,  two-dimensional fighting game, designed by students to inspire young people to explore their local parks and other green- and play-spaces in park-poor communities in Los Angeles, like Boyle Heights. Xplore LA was designed as one of three projects organized to engage youth to access recreational sites near them via public transportation in the park-poor community of Boyle Heights. Through the campaign, students also developed a Ross Valencia Park Redesign, a Pocket Park Manual and the foundations for Xplore LA.

Many sport for development and peace organizations operate with limited resources and in low-resource environments. While resource constraints impede some organizations, others demonstrate an adaptive behavior, known as bricolage, to repurpose and flexibly engage existing resources to accomplish their goals. In this study, we ask what distinguishes organizations that engage in bricolage from others. We specifically test whether sport for development and peace nonprofits that engage in bricolage are more likely to engage in social innovation, and we test those findings against organizational size, age, and characteristics of organizations' operating environments. Using data from an international sample of 161 sport for development and peace nonprofits, we find that organizations employing greater levels of bricolage also demonstrate significantly higher levels of innovation, except for process-focused innovations, which are significantly associated with environmental turbulence. Organizational size itself does not appear to influence the use of bricolage or the relationship between bricolage and innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The implementation of social innovations for addressing societal challenges, particularly in health, leverages community participation and technology to optimally meet social needs compared to traditional approaches. A key feature of these innovations is their ability to utilize existing capacities for contributing to resolving infectious disease outbreaks, which has attracted significant attention from health organizations. Given the potential of these innovations, this study has investigated social innovations in the prevention and control of infectious diseases as one of the major global challenges in the form of a comprehensive literature review. Methods: This review study examined the relevant literature from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2022. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 50 documents were retained and fully examined. The documents were analyzed by applying a thematic analysis, and important content related to the application of social innovations for the prevention and control of pandemic infectious diseases was extracted using a data collection form. Results: Five major themes concerning social innovation in the prevention and control of epidemic diseases were discerned as follows: new products, novel processes and policies, empowerment, innovative practices and behaviors, and community engagement. New products include technological products for control and management of epidemics, preventive products, diagnostic and therapeutic products. Novel processes and policies are related to reorienting and reorganizing care methods, control and monitoring policies, participatory and creative strategies. Empowerment is focused on enhancing the capabilities of health workers, community leaders, and communities. Innovative practices and behaviors involve technology-based participation and support mechanisms. Community engagement is related to awareness, consultation, community mobilization, and participation in production and support. Conclusions: During the outbreak of infectious diseases, governments are faced with many challenges, including health, economic and social challenges. To answer these challenges, tools should be used that have the ability to answer the problem from several aspects. Social innovation as an appropriate process in response to health crises has led to new forms of relationships and empowered the communities. And to promote public health, it provides the opportunity for all members of the society to participate in crisis resolution and optimal use of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examines the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on innovation, considering the role of the three dimensions of intellectual capital (human capital, structural capital and relational capital). Specifically, the analysis explores the direct effect of CSR and intellectual capital on innovation, the effect of CSR on intellectual capital, and the mediating effect of intellectual capital on the relationship between CSR and innovation. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from a sample of 101 Tunisian firms operating in various industries. The conceptual model of direct and indirect effects was tested with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4 software. Findings: CSR is positively related to innovation, as well as all dimensions of intellectual capital. Structural capital is the only dimension of intellectual capital that has a significant effect on innovation. CSR affects innovation through its impact on structural capital. Originality/value: Most studies have examined the direct effect of CSR on innovation in firms in developed countries. In contrast, this research sheds light on the mediating role of intellectual capital in this relationship, underlining the specific role of human capital, relational capital and structural capital. In addition, the study focuses on a developing country, which thus differentiates it from previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore the concept of transformational entrepreneurship (TE), which is relevant in emerging economies such as Brazil with its elevated level of unemployment, taxes and interest rates along with elevated levels of institutional voids, and how firms are including purpose as part of their goals and strategies. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on a multiple case study of six Afro-entrepreneurs, participants of a consulting project from Sebrae, the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service, a private entity that promotes the competitiveness and sustainable development of micro and small business enterprises (Sebrae, 2022). Findings: This work studied the transformational power of entrepreneurship and how six beauty salons led by black women have the ability to not only generate income but also contribute to social and cultural aspects. Practical implications: This work demonstrates how TE has the potential to improve the lives of a population that has historically been marginalized and faces the lived consequences of socioeconomic discrimination. Originality/value: This paper provides valuable contributions through a case study of transformational, ethnic and women's entrepreneurship, not very explored in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, data utilisation and digital service offerings are becoming primary methods of value creation. In this context, designing and offering 'digital service systems' (DSSs) that integrate physical elements (e.g., products, facilities, and physical infrastructure) and digital service elements (e.g., digital services, data, apps, and cloud systems) are important to create sustainable social values and achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals 9 and 11. In this study, we propose a novel method for designing a DSS that simultaneously consider three system domains, namely social, physical, and digital domains. Specifically, we developed design models and a design process to support the DSS design. The proposed method was applied to an actual DSS design case. The results revealed that the proposed method could effectively consider components in the social system domain in addition to those in the digital and physical system domains in the DSS design. In particular, we identified that the proposed design models were useful for enabling the systematic management of a long-term collaborative design process among various stakeholders. They also enabled value-oriented thinking in DSS design and encouraged designers to consider different types of value in the DSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional change has been identified as inherent to social innovation proposals, especially in developing contexts. However, it is still unclear how these changes occur in the social innovation process. Therefore, our study seeks to answer the following research question: How do attempts at institutional change occur in the social innovation process in an emerging context? We use the qualitative approach to investigate two Brazilian social innovation cases striving to change the institutional environment in which they operate. Our data reveals that institutional change may be necessary before the scalability stage of the social innovation process. We suggest that this finding is related to the developing context, which requires social entrepreneurs and their teams to break institutional barriers to expand their social innovation initiatives. We have also identified some mechanisms used for the attempts to institutional changes: competition with government organisations, influence in formulating laws, and support for the market growth and the entry of new participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, a large section of society holds the perspective of being differently abled as a liability. The research was carried out in the context of fine-dining restaurants that employ people with a hearing or speech disability as staff. The service innovation developed using differently abled employees also led to these employees' psychological, financial, and social transformation, thereby converting them from social liabilities into social capital. We explored this process through three facets: (i) Measure the service excellence of the hearing and speech impaired staff through the use of the SERVQUAL model (ii) Mediating effect of empathy on WoM and loyalty (iii) Within the context of Social Innovation and Social Capital. The study employed a mixed-method research approach. The findings indicate that innovative and sustainable entrepreneurial models can be built through diversity and inclusion, thus creating inclusive societal cultures in the SME sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite several studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and innovation on firm performance, the extent to which different CSR practices interacts with distinct innovation types in enhancing firm performance remains underexplored. We draw on contingency theory to examine how internal and external CSR interacts with exploitative and explorative innovation to improve firm performance. We discuss the interaction effects using a panel dataset of 1156 publicly listed Chinese firms that disclosed CSR and innovation information from 2008 to 2019. The results indicate that firms with high‐internal CSR benefit to a greater extent from explorative innovation than from exploitative innovation as a means of enhancing performance. In contrast, firms with high‐external CSR benefit to a greater extent from exploitative innovation than from explorative innovation to improve performance. We contribute to strategy and CSR literature by revealing how firms match specific CSR practices with distinct innovation types to enhance firm performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, our understanding of how collaborative entrepreneurship influences social innovation performance is limited. In this article, we developed and tested a model that examines the effect of collaborative entrepreneurship on social innovation performance and introduced two boundary conditions of this relationship. Time‐lag data collected from 261 entrepreneurial firms in Vietnam yielded the following results. First, collaborative entrepreneurship positively influences social innovation. Second, institutional support boosts the effect of collaborative entrepreneurship on social innovation performance. Finally, the effect of collaborative entrepreneurship on social innovation performance is contingent on social legitimacy such that at high levels of social legitimacy, the effect of collaborative entrepreneurship on social innovation performance is amplified. These findings contribute to the collaborative entrepreneurship and social innovation literature and offer implications for practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigate how production Cooperatives with a Sharing Economy Business Model (CSE‐BMs) foster innovations in structurally weak rural places. Taking a place‐based social capital perspective, we argue that the strength of CSE‐BMs in developing process, service, product, and social innovation lies in their ability to reconfigure shared resources across communities and actors located on different levels of power and with different access to resources. Empirically, we reconstruct the mobilization and reconfiguration of shared resources across the network in an in‐depth case study of a CSE‐BM in rural Greece. We find that CSE‐BMs can mobilize resources across the network by offering value propositions that stakeholders regard as credible because decision‐makers show attachment to the place. To realize sufficient value for members to sustain their contributions to the CSE‐BM, product, service, and process innovations are complemented by social innovations. Mobilizing and reconfiguring shared resources across different interest groups unleashes the innovative potential of CSE‐BMs but causes tensions between different mindsets at the same time. Cooperatives offer an organizational structure to turn these tensions from a threat into an opportunity for innovation. Our findings contribute to the Sharing Economy Business Model (SE‐BM) literature on typology building and the construction of ideal types. We also advance the SE‐BM debate by shedding light on the potential of cooperative forms of organizing collaborative production in the sharing economy. Practically, we contribute to the discussion about the importance of physical vs. digital platforms as intermediaries in SE‐BMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims at positioning regenerative agriculture within the theoretical discussions on rural social innovations. By analysing the concept and practices of regeneration it argues that there is an emerging shift towards grassroots rural initiatives which re-imagine farming and food production as socio-ecologically embedded processes which encourage shared societal responsibility for resources use and food production. Moreover, the paper argues that these processes can suggest a path to rural social innovation that rethinks the mainstream concepts of development and growth, offering epistemological transitions to non-extractivist economies and production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose is to analyse the Social Entrepreneurs' Mode of Being Theory, based on the literature concerned with the theories that underpin the 'social entrepreneurship' and at research, where its contrast the entrepreneur's practice and theory. The findings show the articulation of the theories of social entrepreneur coupled with the hermeneutical interpretation of the philosophical dimensions, configured the mode of being based on the analysis of existential situations. The philosophical foundations of Management and hermeneutic phenomenology, was integrated to configure the mode of being of the social entrepreneur, establishing hypothesis and principles that underpin a Theory of the Way of Being to development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social innovation helps to address the complex problems of society by identifying the social issues and providing targeted actions. Here, the study investigates the factors of social entrepreneur capability towards social innovation. This paper discusses the scale development for measuring the social innovation capability of the social entrepreneur. The study uses the expert opinion method to select the items to increase the content validity from 800 professional under-graduate students who are ready for placements in educational institutions and would like to become social entrepreneurs and who are members of the Entrepreneur Cell in India. Further exploratory factor analysis was employed to check the proposed dimension fit in the construct of social innovation. Accordingly, the results of the study state that the proposed dimension 'Intent to Innovate' was found to be significant with the other existing factors of social innovation capability. Hence, it paves the way for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to establish a conceptual connection between social innovation (SI) and utopia. Both refer to change in the future, imply an intent to bring about or envision a better state of affairs and therefore offer some critique of the present. Current concepts of SI lack focus on thecritiques, hopes and imaginaries that underlie SI initiatives. The paper turns towards the concept of utopia to fully understand SI as a tool for social change and engages with how utopia can become part of a social theory of change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technologies can play an important role in developing and scaling social innovations, thanks to their ability to reach and mobilise communities of people, use resources more effectively, and provide fast and broad responses to social needs. Seeing this potential, Technology Social Ventures have arisen as a form of social enterprises that employ technologies to achieve their social impact. This study has systematically reviewed the extant knowledge regarding Technology Social Ventures, applying a 'micro-meso-macro' framework to structure the analysis. The results from this multi-level approach revealed ten primary areas of inquiry on the topic, as well as showed that the research field is still in early development and has not been academically delineated from Social Enterprises. Based on these findings, the paper outlines a research agenda to address the existing gaps and advance the field's development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims at understanding how higher education institutions (HEIs) can contribute to sustainable development, by designing their programmes for bringing about a transformative impact on communities and students, and also to examine what alternative pedagogical approaches could be used for that. In the past decades, HEIs have increasingly created social innovation (SI) programmes, as a way to achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These community-oriented and field-based programmes are difficult to ally with conventional classroom education. This study explores how these programmes could integrate the participatory approach and what would be the benefits. It also investigates the effectiveness of the experiential learning approach for teaching sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: A case study method is used to document SI projects initiated by an HEI programme in rural India. Findings: It was found that the participatory approach contributes to empowering communities and also benefits the students in terms of academic, professional and personal growth. Empirical findings show that experiential learning is an efficient method to teach sustainability. Ultimately, both pedagogical approaches are found to be mutually beneficial. Originality/value: This study fills a gap in the literature, by providing empirical evidence on how HEI can implement innovative educational strategies such as participatory approach and experiential learning in their programmes towards teaching sustainability. A conceptual model for HEI interested in developing similar programmes is also proposed. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is one of the first studies focusing on the context of Indian HEI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Considering the uncertainty that accompanies political reforms, this study examines the determinants of universal basic income (UBI) acceptance among a representative sample of 593 German citizens using innovation resistance theory. The study aimed to determine whether passive innovation resistance (PIR) negatively influences UBI acceptance and to investigate how active evaluation of pro‐ and con‐arguments, potentially leading to active innovation resistance (AIR), affects this relationship. The results indicate that both PIR and AIR reduce UBI acceptance. Social influence and individual advantages appear to be the primary drivers of UBI support, while counter‐arguments have a relatively minor impact. AIR is mainly influenced by individual economic effects, universality and social justice, whereas unconditionality has a negligible effect. The study also reveals moderation effects of age and political orientation (liberal vs. conservative) and provides practical insights along with suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some oscine passerines incorporate heterospecific sounds into their repertoires, including vocalizations of other bird species, sounds of other fauna, and even anthropogenic sounds, through vocal mimicry. However, few studies have investigated whether mimics learn heterospecific sounds from model species or from conspecific tutors. Here, we investigate mimicry acquisition using innovation in Cuculidae calls imitated by the Chinese blackbird (Turdus mandarinus). If the mimicry innovation arises and spreads among several neighbors and is not produced by model species, the mimicry must be acquired partially from conspecifics. We found that: (1) Cuculidae calls imitated by blackbirds were reasonably accurate, but with some differences between mimetic and real calls in acoustic structures. (2) We identified four unique mimetic units (mimicry innovation or copy errors), and these units only occurred at certain sites and were shared by several neighbors. In aggregate, frequency parameters (the first principal component) of unique mimetic units were higher than usual mimetic units (p < 0.001). Our findings provide further evidence that mimetic units can be partially learnt from conspecifics based on four cases of unique mimetic units. Our study and approach provide a reference and theoretical basis for the future understanding of social learning and development of vocal mimicry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, social work was reestablished in 1988. Despite the number of social work programmes increased very fast throughout the 1990s, there was a huge need for social work-trained educators. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Peking University launched the MSW (China) Programme in 2000 to create a critical mass of social work educators who would assume future leadership in social work development in mainland China. Participatory action research was employed as a methodology to explore how social work education could transform students into catalysts for social work education and social development. Purposive sampling was adopted, and seven cohorts totaling 238 graduates who graduated from the programme were the participants in this research. Data collection and analysis were carried out throughout the action research process. We found the triple capacity building model to be a good pedagogy to foster transformation among participants, and to steer the knowledge co-creation, practice innovation, policy reform, and social change through social work education. In this paper, we will provide an overview of the background, vision, and mission, as well as the teaching pedagogy of the programme and a case study to demonstrate how social work education has an impact on policy and practice innovation in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how relationships of care, trust and hope might be fostered in a social innovation design course at a South African university of technology. Rather than shy away from the challenges of our uncertain world, the paper proposes feminist pedagogical strategies that seek to nurture students’ capacity for trust and hope, rather than overwhelm and despair, through carefully curated collaborative-collage-making processes. By interweaving Bracha Ettinger’s theory of matrixial trans-subjectivity and Karen Barad’s agential realism, the generative role that arts-based practices offer social innovation design pedagogies is made explicit. The paper will show how collaborative artworking activated a co-affective encounter in which students and myself, rather than drowning in overwhelm, discovered new educational imaginaries and Hope-full renewals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the correlation between economic policy uncertainty and corporate innovation by investigating Chinese energy enterprises yearly during the period from 2001 to 2019. The empirical finding shows a positive effect of economic policy uncertainty on energy corporate innovation (i.e. patent and R&D expenditure), no matter for the traditional energy sample or renewable ones. Next, we find a mediating effect of corporate social responsibility on the nexus between variables, in which higher corporate social responsibility promotes a positive effect on energy corporate innovation. We then examine the moderating effects of government subsidy and financial constraints, presenting that diminishing effects exist in the positive influence of economic policy uncertainty on energy corporate innovation. We also divide the time period into before and after the 2008 global financial crisis and employ a new and more detailed economic policy uncertainty index for robust analysis. Overall, we demonstrate a positive nexus between economic policy uncertainty and energy corporate innovation variables and offer policy implications for governments and energy market participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a literature review, the article proposes a theoretical articulation integrating the innovation subfields of service innovation, social innovation, and public sector innovation. The results revealed a theoretical-methodological research gap regarding the system that mobilizes a set of dimensions for collaborative creation of innovations that generate public value for society, which was conceptualized as public sector innovation ecosystem. Nevertheless, an ecosystem analytical matrix framework was proposed through seven dimensions: ecosystem actors; nature or role of the actor in the ecosystem; competences and preferences of the multiple actors; operations, functions and technologies related to services; nature of innovation; and, public value creation. This research provides an opportunity to advance the knowledge about public innovation and subsidizing innovative policies and managerial practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discourses on rural areas and their development concurrently encompass both negative narratives of them dying out and discussions on how to constitute future visions for a ‘living’, ‘good’ and ‘sustainable’ countryside to work towards. As a solution, ‘social innovation’ has been proposed to counter the economic, demographic and sociocultural challenges disadvantaged rural regions are facing. Accordingly, this article contributes to the growing literature on the dynamics of social innovation initiatives by investigating how rural areas and their communities are communicatively re‐constructed, as part of socio‐spatial processes emerging from the work of rural development initiatives, fostering potential social change towards more sustainable societies. Building on fieldwork from the rural Austrian region of Mühlviertel, it is shown how social innovation aiming at instigating positive territorial developments is linked to intertwined processes of the re‐figuration of social bonds and re‐figuration of space, which is centred around the propagation of regional ‘community of values’ founded on ideas about changing values and social sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful adoption of social innovations, such as renewable energy systems or pollution reduction plans in cities, depends, to a large extent, on the willingness and participation of the population in their development and implementation. We present an agent‐based model (ABM) to analyze the process of citizen acceptability of a social innovation that uses a variety of agents to represent individual citizens and relevant groups of citizens. Citizen agents make use of the HUMAT cognitive decision‐making model, based on psychosocial theories, to decide on their support for the social innovation considering how their needs will be satisfied if they decide to support (or not) the innovation project, and the influence exerted by the agents in their environment. The ABM was initially developed to represent the urban and transport planning superblock project in the city of Vitoria‐Gasteiz (Spain). The ABM simulations make it possible to study the evolution of public acceptance of social innovation, with the results providing insights to the social dynamics and individual factors that affect the acceptance of the project, enabling an evaluation of how to devise new policies that increase public acceptance. Sufficiently generic to be easily adaptable to different types of social innovations, the ABM is a powerful tool to explore different scenarios and design strategies that foster the acceptance and sustainable adoption of social innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article I introduce a sense of society (creating connections to the future) targeted by the NTT EAST Group as a Social Innovation Partner toward a prosperous society through the social implementation of advanced technologies. With this goal in mind, I also introduce NTT EAST Group efforts in "self-enhancement" and examples of initiatives for creating new regional value in collaboration with other companies and society. This article is based on the keynote speech I presented at Tsukuba Forum 2024 held in May 2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social Innovation is defined as both a concept and a tool for social change that, in recent decades, has formed the backbone of numerous policies implemented by the European Commission. However, part of the academic literature identifies several limitations in the discursive potentialities presented within the institutional framework. Accordingly, the aim of this article is to examine how European social policies on Social Innovation conceptualise the 'being' and 'ought to be' of citizenship, or the subject, from a critical Foucauldian perspective, with a view to problematising its implications for the analysis of the social reality represented in these policies. To this end, a qualitative strategy employing discourse analysis and the 'logics of critical explanation' approach is utilised, analysing 26 institutional documents from the European Commission issued between 2010 and 2024. The findings indicate that this discursive institutional framework construes citizenship as embodying a rational, active, capable, and conscious subject, committed to solving social problems. This conception of the 'being' of a citizen implies a significant transformation in the 'ought to be' of that citizen. If citizens are deemed capable of understanding and transforming their environment, they are thereby responsible for ensuring their own well-being and equipping themselves with the necessary skills to adapt to economic change, transforming them into "neoliberal subjects" within a Foucauldian framework. This new normativity appears to naturalise the functioning of social and economic structures and their dynamics, resulting in an undialectical analysis of social realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of tourism lifestyle entrepreneurs (TLEs) for the sustainability and competitiveness of tourism destinations has gained much attention from academic researchers and policy makers. A key characteristic of TLEs is their social ties and attachment to the physical and social environment, this in turn drives motivations to support and protect the destination that enables entrepreneurs to achieve their lifestyle goals. Thus, the interdependencies between TLEs and destination is a catalyst for value co-creation and social innovation (i.e., generating and implementing new solutions to social problems and needs). While the extant research has focused on business' financial performance outcomes, our understanding of the drivers of TLE social innovation and the implications for the sustainability of tourism-based communities remains a major gap. This study analyzes survey data through PLS-SEM and fsQCA to identify the factors influencing TLEs social innovation activities. Findings suggest that 1) value co-creation, and 2) TLE proactiveness directly influence social innovation, and support a mediation effect on the relationship between the businesses' market orientation and social innovation practices. These finding introduce new knowledge on the drivers of TLE social innovation, with practical implications for local governments and destination authorities in supporting the sustainability of destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of social networks on SMEs (Small- and medium-sized enterprises)' ambidextrous innovation and discusses the mediating effect of dynamic capabilities and the moderating effect of technological turbulence from the perspectives of social network theory and dynamic capability theory. Empirical data were garnered from a sample of 494 SMEs in China and structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed relationships. The results show that: (1) both dimensions of the social networks (relational and structural networks) have a positive impact on SMEs' exploratory innovation(ERI) and exploitative innovation(EII) – the relational networks(RNs) have a stronger impact on SMEs' EII while the structural networks(SNs) have a stronger impact on SMEs' ERI; (2) dynamic capabilities play a mediating role between RNs, SNs and SMEs' ERI, EII; (3) technological turbulence positively moderates the dynamic capabilities – ERI relationship, while not moderates the dynamic capabilities – EII relationship; (4) the indirect effects of RNs and SNs on ERI via dynamic capabilities is moderated by technological turbulence, while the indirect effects of RNs and SNs on EII via dynamic capabilities is not moderated by technological turbulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the purposeful adaptation and utilization of the design thinking process in an innovation case involving market segmentation in social network research. Based on a case study, this paper combines the design thinking process with systems approach methods to foster innovation in social network analyses. The paper details the entire process, from the initial stages to the development of a viable solution defined in the final assignment for programmers. The case study emphasizes the effective use of systems thinking tools and demonstrates the value of combining these two approaches to meet the needs of the innovation process. The paper aims to narrate the entire process and highlight critical points in a real-world case study. The focus was on the challenge of creating a market segmentation tool for researchers and marketers in the realm of social network analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social innovation is an umbrella concept that allows space for a diverse range of perspectives to co-exist. In this paper, we explore how practitioners negotiate this complexity. Conducting 19 interviews with stakeholders involved in social enterprise and social care in Scotland, we show that almost anything can be conceived of as a social innovation as defined by the European Union. The EU definition can be a useful tool for organizations to demonstrate to funders how and why they are socially innovative. However, in failing to interrogate the power dimension of social innovation, the EU definition neglects any transformative potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In recent years, SI initiatives have emerged as a promising approach to addressing pressing social and environmental challenges. However, despite their proliferation and potential benefits, the evaluation frameworks for assessing their impact effectively are often lacking. This gap in the current literature on SI impact evaluation is further compounded by fragmentation, with limited established frameworks or methods for evaluating the impact of SI initiatives. To address this research gap, we conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 185 studies published in the Web of Science database from 2008 to 2023. Our rigorous analysis revealed significant research gaps and identified four thematic areas related to the development of evaluation frameworks, including collaboration and co-creation in impact evaluation of SIs, comprehensive and context-specific approaches to evaluating SI initiatives, financial factors in SI impact evaluation, and technology acceptance and SI impact. Through a content analysis of these thematic areas, our study provides key insights into the current state of research on SI impact evaluation and identifies potential avenues for future research. The findings of our study contribute to a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with SI impact evaluation and offer valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate whether and how Social Innovation (SI) can contribute to transformative change, we explored nine Native Seed Collectors Networks (NSCNs) in Brazil. Employing Social Network Analysis, we delved into the organisational structure of four NSCNs. Additionally, we identified five instances of social innovations (SIs) using the guiding questions of the Social Innovation—Forest and Landscape Restoration (SI‐FLR) framework.These networks, which received a total of US$ 12 million in investments from 2018 to 2021, have not only contributed to the production of 180 tonnes of native seeds but also had a significant socioeconomic impact. They have generated a total income of US$ 1.01 million for 997 seed collectors, 46% of whom are from traditional communities and marginalised groups. Furthermore, 55% of these collectors are women, and 23% rely solely on seed collection as their only source of income.While the NSCNs represent a fledgling economy, they have effectively activated local agency capacity. With the support of the NSCNs' social capital, a favourable context and clear motivations, this agency capacity can trigger SIs. By generating positive impacts, these SIs are changing values and empowering local agents (scaling deep), inspiring agents in other geographies (scaling out) and even influencing policies favourable to socially inclusive landscape restoration (scaling up). This three‐dimensional scaling underscores the catalysing power of SI in NSCNs and their potential contribution to transformative change.We also emphasise the role of public bodies in promoting enabling conditions, the vital role of local experimentation and the rarely evidenced local agency capacity to leverage SIs in FLR. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Resumo: Para investigar se e como a Inovação Social (IS) pode contribuir para a mudança transformativa, exploramos nove Redes de Coletores de Sementes Nativas (RCSNs) no Brasil. Empregamos a Análise de Redes Sociais para investigar a estrutura organizacional de quatro RCSNs. Além disso, identificamos cinco casos de inovações sociais (ISs) usando as perguntas orientadoras da estrutura analítica Restauração Socio‐Inovadora e Paisagens (RESIP).De 2018 a 2021, essas redes receberam um total de US$ 12 milhões em investimentos, e não apenas contribuíram para a produção de 180 toneladas de sementes nativas, mas também tiveram um impacto socioeconômico significativo. Elas geraram uma renda total de US$ 1,01 milhão para 997 coletores de sementes, 46% dos quais são comunidades tradicionais e grupos economicamente marginalizados. Além disso, 55% desses coletores são mulheres e 23% dependem exclusivamente da coleta de sementes como sua única fonte de renda.Embora essas RCSNs representem uma economia incipiente, eles efetivamente ativaram a capacidade de agência local. Com o apoio do capital social das RCSNs, um contexto favorável e motivações claras, essa capacidade de agência pode desencadear inovações sociais. Ao gerar impactos positivos, essas ISs transformam valores e empoderam agentes locais ('scaling deep'), inspiram agentes em outras regiões ('scaling out') e influenciam políticas favoráveis à restauração de paisagens socialmente inclusivas ('scaling up'). Esse escalonamento tridimensional ressalta o poder catalisador de ISs nas RCSNs e sua contribuição potencial para a mudança transformativa.Também enfatizamos o papel dos órgãos públicos na promoção de condições favoráveis, o papel vital da experimentação local e a, raramente evidenciada, capacidade de agência local, em alavancar ISs na Restauração de Paisagens e Florestas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore the mechanism by which sustainability leadership (SL) and transformational leadership (TL) contribute to implementing sustainability‐related aspects and the adoption of the SDGs by the teaching staff and whether these relationships are mediated by the higher education institutions' (HEIs) level of social innovation tendency. The authors relied on a world survey containing questions developed according to the literature to achieve the results, receiving 603 answers from teaching staff in 102 developed and developing countries. To analyse the data, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were deployed to check the instruments and the model's structure of factors, and structural equation modelling with hypotheses testing was adopted to understand the level of significance and the magnitude of the relationship between the constructs. The results indicate that SL has a significantly strong relationship with TL, social innovation tendency, and the adoption of sustainability aspects in teaching; however, it is not possible to support the existence of a significant relationship between TL and the adoption of sustainability aspects in teaching, and between social innovation tendency and the adoption of sustainability aspects in teaching. Theoretical and practical implications are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This editorial introduces the Special Issue on public value, urging scholars to ask fundamental questions about what public value organizing entails. It proposes key conceptual dimensions to foster public value thinking, highlighting the contested nature of the concept and the subjective understanding of public value among different publics. Themes emerging from the contributions to the Special Issue include re-imagining the State's role in post-capitalistic regimes, re-designing approaches to economic planning, and re-experiencing public value through transforming relationships between planners and the planned, practicing active citizenship endeavors, and integrating environmental concerns into processes and systems of valuation. Problematizing the neoliberal misrecognition of the State as a legitimate institution for wealth creation, this special issue showcases its key role in fostering post-capitalist possibilities. The articles offer evidence and inspiration regarding innovating the ways we plan, design, produce and account for public value by leveraging what we conceptualize as new collaborative governance possibilities. Overall, we call for establishing stronger connections between existing studies on alternative economic, political, and democratic organizing with scholarship on public policy, strategic public management, transformative social innovation and social movements. Four areas for future research on post-capitalist governance are also proposed: State-businesses relationships beyond capitalism; changing conceptions of value including the value of care; municipal approaches toward community wealth building; re-imagining new public institutions for more participatory democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an era of rapid technological advancement, decisions about the ownership and governance of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence will shape the future of both urban and rural environments in the Global North and South. This article explores how AI can move beyond the noise of algorithms by adopting a technological humanistic approach to enable Social Innovation, focusing on global inequalities and digital justice. Using a fieldwork Action Research methodology, based on the Smart Rural Communities project in Colombia and Mozambique, the study develops a framework for integrating AI with SI. Drawing on insights from the AI4SI International Summer School held in Donostia-San Sebastián in 2024, the article examines the role of decentralized Web3 technologies—such as Blockchain, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, and Data Cooperatives—in enhancing data sovereignty and fostering inclusive and participatory governance. The results demonstrate how decentralization can empower marginalized communities in the Global South by promoting digital justice and addressing the imbalance of power in digital ecosystems. The conclusion emphasizes the potential for AI and decentralized technologies to bridge the digital divide, offering practical recommendations for scaling these innovations to support equitable, community-driven governance and address systemic inequalities across the Global North and South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes students' perceptions of how teaching-learning methods influence the promotion of higher education students' social innovation competencies based on a sustainability framework. We focus our analysis on Spain using 'Spanish Universities Involvement in Social Innovation Activities' (SUISIA) data, collected in 2021. For the long list of 19 competencies available in our sample of 349 students, we identify those competencies associated with social innovation and categorize them as organizational, entrepreneurial and collaborative. We then employ different statistical models to identify which teaching-learning methods facilitate the development of social innovation competencies. We also consider variables such as student characteristics and field of study program. Our results suggest a lack of implementation of active teaching-learning approaches which leads to poor development of organizational, entrepreneurial and collaborative competencies, particularly in engineering studies in comparison to other disciplines. This suggests a gap between higher education and society's demands in students' preparation for and engagement in a complex and dynamic future aimed at achieving the sustainable development goals outlined in Agenda 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Taiwan promotes social enterprises with the Social Enterprise Action Plan and Social Innovation Action Plan, focusing on solving social problems and achieving sustainable development goals. This study aims to clarify the impetus for the above policies and determines whether the relevant policy tools can achieve the established policy goals. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts the in-depth interview method and uses the "social impact investment framework" constructed by OEDC and Dunn's definition of public policy stakeholders to select 22 respondents, who were divided into three groups. Findings: Taiwan's decision-making in social enterprise policy is mainly driven by the pressure of youth unemployment and the 318-student movement. Intrinsic motivation strategies popularized the concept of social enterprise. Various strategies are used to break the limitations and diversify the organization, trigger more diverse social investments, broaden the goals of investment and complete the social enterprise ecosystem through these. Taiwan's social enterprise policies are consistent with the global trend of "replacing subsidies with investment." Originality/value: This study shows that social enterprises generate mutual benefits between investors and social enterprises, that is, achieve free matching through external mechanisms. This study fills the gaps in Oliver's "behavioral cube" framework of policy instruments. A "behavioral four-dimensional matrix" composed of nudge, shove, budge and reciprocity is proposed to complete the framework for social enterprise policy analysis tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines how social and environmental innovations affect cost leadership strategies, value creation, and overall firm/business performance. It has compared how SMEs handle the ever‐changing landscape of sustainability‐driven business practices with large manufacturing companies. With a cross‐sectional design, the study examined 179 manufacturing businesses to test the research framework. A structured questionnaire based on a five‐point Likert scale with organization as a unit of analysis was used to collect data. The research's measurement and structural models were derived from data analysis conducted using Smart PLS. Overall, the research revealed that environmental and social innovations have significant impacts on business performance through cost leadership strategies and value creation in both SMEs and large manufacturing companies. However, a direct relationship was not established between social innovation and value creation in the case of SMEs, but it was significant for large companies. Environmental innovation was found to have direct relationships with cost leadership and value creation in both SMEs and large manufacturing companies. This research shows managers and policymakers how companies of any size can balance cost leadership with environmental and social concerns to maximize resources and efficiency. It encourages sustainable practices that benefit society and the environment while boosting performance and guiding strategic decision‐making. The novelty of this study is the comparative analysis of SMEs and large companies that provide empirical evidence of the intricate connection between environmental and social innovations, cost leadership, value creation, and business performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young adults aged 18–28 represent a pivotal demographic whose experiences of inequality significantly shape their life trajectories in cities. Despite their potential for innovation and social advancement, public agendas often marginalize their needs and aspirations. This paper explores urban inequality among young adults by examining how they define and value different aspects of their daily lives when urban inequality is at play. Drawing on focus group discussions in two socioeconomically segregated urban districts in Bogotá, this paper employs the capability approach to construct a comprehensive list of 15 capability domains that young adults use to define and value their daily experiences. The paper adds to the existing literature a detail a step-by-step process involving the identification, selection, and ranking of relevant capabilities, with young adults actively engaged in value judgements through a deliberative process of public reasoning. Findings reveal that quality-of-life domains for young adults extend beyond traditional youth policy sectors, encompassing political participation, public space and mobility, social norms, and independence. The results not only expand the scope of existing youth agendas but also align with demands expressed during recent social unrest in Colombia and the region, where young adults have played a central and vocal role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University community engagement (UCE) is the cooperation between academic actors and marginalized, resource-poor community stakeholders in ways that are mutually beneficial to both parties. The goal of such partnerships is to tackle social exclusion and injustice and to foster environmental sustainability. Such an approach shows remarkable similarities with social innovation (SI), which also denotes bottom-up processes, with CSO involvement aimed at responding to community needs. The present paper aims to analyse the relationship between these two concepts: the role UCE can play in transformative SI (TSI). We approach this topic by the empirical analysis of four initiatives in Hungary, in which universities or their specific units institutionalized UCE as a result of bottom-up processes. To reflect on these cases, we utilize the ‘TRANSIT model’ of SI, which is a relational framework developed to understand how SI processes contribute to transformative change. Our conclusion is that although the diverse practices of UCE contribute to emergence and diffusion of SI in multiple ways, a number of structural and contextual limitations can be identified with regard to UCE’s contributions to TSI. Despite the recognition of these limitations, promoting the expansion of UCE may still play a role in the fostering of TSI processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]