Another look at social innovation: From community - For community

Social innovation (SI) continues to raise interest among scholars and policymakers, as a potential panacea for social disenfranchisement and civic dysfunction. What is troubling is diverse perspectives of SI abound, creating inconsistencies in methodological approaches which confound theory development. This paper clarifies that discussion by considering the locus of initiation and locus of benefit as informing characteristics that differentiate grounded social innovation from other types of well-recognized socially beneficent endeavors. The notion of ‘from community – for community’ is presented to aid understanding of the unique nature of authentically grounded social innovation. This paper is significant as it presents a practical approach to help researchers and practitioners consider where opportunities for targeted policy support, institutional involvement, and agency action can aid community development and wellbeing.