The Economics of Social Innovation

This book explores the economics of social innovation, a topic that is often overlooked in regional development. It discusses the gap between the potential of social innovation and the socio-economic challenges regions face, and highlights the need for a better understanding of underlying mechanisms, processes, and impacts. The book focuses on framework conditions, characteristics, determinants, and specific fields of social innovation, and was originally published as a special issue of the journal European Planning Studies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 198 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book delves into the realm of 'the economics of social innovation,' a topic that has been largely overlooked in regional development. Within its pages, a collection of chapters explores diverse yet interconnected aspects related to the existing gap between the untapped potential of social innovation in addressing socio-economic challenges faced by regions across Europe and globally.

Research on social innovation has experienced a notable surge in recent years, driven by the increasing interest in social issues related to policymaking, public management, and entrepreneurship in response to the grand challenges societies in Europe and worldwide are confronting. This trend has been further propelled by the normative shift in research and innovation policies towards 'missions,' with social innovation emerging as a central element on policy agendas, spanning from the urban and regional levels to the national and subnational levels of the European Commission and the OECD. Nonetheless, to fully realize the potential of social innovation, a deeper understanding of its underlying mechanisms, processes, and impacts is essential.

The first three chapters of this book focus on establishing the framework conditions and defining the characteristics of social innovation. The subsequent two chapters delve into the determinants of social innovation and the empowerment of translocal actors. In the final section, attention is devoted to exploring social innovation in specific fields such as healthcare and greening society, as well as examining the transformative potential of social innovations.

These chapters were originally published as a special issue of the journal, European Planning Studies.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032271347