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 Social Innovations Collaborative intelligence & intelligent collaboration >> Cultural Evolution WHY SOCIAL INNOVATION NOW ? Standardisation Weak ties in social relations: ‚Flexibility‘ Acceleration ‚speed kills‘ Pressures „Humans by Design“: Optimisation in the 21st c.? Work-load „Work-Life Balance“ „Brave New World“: Optimisation of human bevaiour in social systems – 20th century The most famous steam engine Optimised by James watt, 1776 Innovations embedded in social change 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-Discussion Paper 13, p. 2, ... w e hey ar eter: T p es« m c i u ch l pract ce to S a i n c e r o e s f s of ith re com »New on binati The making of social innovation The „4-i process“: – – – – Ideation Intervention Implementation Impact Ideation >> >> >> >> What‘s the issue, what could be the solution? Conceptualisation, find methods and allies Overcoming resistance, stakeholders, life cycle! Not necessarily ‚good‘, nor for the whole of society Intervention Implementation Impact Three perspectives to analyse objectives and impact: the „social demand“ perspective, the „societal challenges“ 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 the workforce“ – - Immediate issue: YOUTH unemployment! → support programmes country by country ► EU Budget, structural funds ? • Education – EU2020: „Reducing school drop-out rates below 10% and enabling 40% of age cohorts to complete third level education“ – - Inter-generational learning, flexible schooling, training and re-training • Social Services – EU2020: „Reducing the number of people in or at risk of 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 • Climate change – - 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) Systemic change perspective – new priorities, innovation culture, and changing frames of reference: • Financialisation – (‚the problem behind the problems‘, 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% less greenhouse gas emissions, 20% increase in 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 LLL & socially active ageing Inclusion & integration Partic. combat of poverty Educ. impact on quality of life Public sector Competencies of SSH Civil Society Social media & communication The potential of SI Business, firms, soc. entr. Measuring, indicators Innovation in services Value creation ec/env/soc Processes of 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: NEW – • European School of Social Innovation (ESSI) – AT, DE, ES »The fi starting 20 12 -20 rst aca 1 • Course of study „M.A. in Social Innovation“ of soc demic educ 3 ial inn Danube University Krems (AT), in collaboration with ZSI ovato ation rs« www.donau-uni.ac.at/masi • Promotion and awareness raising: • • • • Continuation of www.socialinnovationeurope.eu Roadshow through Member States 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: [email protected] http://www.zsi.at