Socioeconomic Innovation in the Context of Globalization

A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 10678

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Sociology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 20123 Milan, Italy
2. Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
Interests: social anthropology; economic anthropology; tourism anthropology; food anthropology; heritage studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Co-Guest Editor
1. Commonwealth Rutherford Fellow in the Durham University Business School, Durham DH1 3DE, UK
2. Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, North South University, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
Interests: energy economics; tourism economics

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Co-Guest Editor
City Diplomacy Lab, Columbia Global Centers | Paris, 75006 Paris, France
Interests: city diplomacy; sustainable development; urban policies; international relations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The end of the Cold War and the profound technological transformations that spread throughout the world in the 1990s opened a new historical phase: the age of globalization. It is characterized by the fast sociocultural and economic integration as well as by the increased mobility of people, ideas, commodities, services, and capital on a local and global scale. All these transformations are clustered in the concept of globalization.

The age of globalization is marked by a new understanding of the economy, society, and the environment, as well as emerging emergencies connected to, among many issues, cultural radicalization, financial crisis, war, biocultural depletion, migration management, rural abandonment, unregulated urbanization, climate change, demographic crises, and pandemics. These new challenges have triggered forms of socioeconomic innovation that involve the most diverse sectors and actors and foster new policies and new forms of politics at local and global, as well as urban and rural levels.

Within the framework of the UN 2030 Agenda, this Special Issue invites contributions that:

  • Identify models of socioeconomic innovation that marks the era of globalization;
  • Analyze specific phenomena of socioeconomic innovation and their contribution to achieving the SDGs;
  • Analyze socioeconomic innovation resulting from multilateral cooperation addressing shared challenges, by focusing on all tiers of government (national, regional, and/or local), as well the private and/or not-for-profit sectors;
  • Examine cultural, social, political, and economic factors that can foster socioeconomic innovation.

Contributions should follow one of the three categories of papers (article, conceptual paper, or review) of the journal and address the topic of the Special Issue.

Dr. Michele Fontefrancesco
Dr. Sakib Amin
Dr. Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • social innovation
  • economic innovation
  • cultural innovation
  • political innovation
  • inclusion
  • empowerment
  • sustainability
  • sustainable development goals
  • development
  • transnational challenges
  • multilateral cooperation
  • international relations
  • globalization

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1083 KiB  
Article
Keeping the Knives Sharp: Socioeconomic Innovation in the Artisan Sector of Butchery in Italy
by Michele Filippo Fontefrancesco and Andrea Costa
Societies 2023, 13(4), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13040080 - 26 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1760
Abstract
This paper investigates the socioeconomic and cultural transformation in food artisan entrepreneurship due to the complexification of the food sector and ongoing globalisation through a case study conducted among the artisan butchers of Genoa, Italy. The butcher’s trade has enjoyed centrality and social [...] Read more.
This paper investigates the socioeconomic and cultural transformation in food artisan entrepreneurship due to the complexification of the food sector and ongoing globalisation through a case study conducted among the artisan butchers of Genoa, Italy. The butcher’s trade has enjoyed centrality and social and cultural promotion that made butcher shops key places in the urban foodscape. However, this centrality is challenged by both new consumption trends and the imposition of large-scale organised distribution as the fulcrum of mass food trade. These changes raise the question about the future of the profession and its knowledge. This paper addresses this question by investigating the structure of the butcher’s business and the practices involved in knowledge creation and transmission, exploring the factor of change and its effects on the butcher’s profession, as well as the very foundational aspects of the artisanship. The research suggests that artisanship should be read as a form of entrepreneurship capable of placing and moving the craftsman within the global social hierarchy of a community. Therefore, the preservation of artisanship and its sociocultural complexity cannot be limited to the mere preservation of gastronomic forms and techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socioeconomic Innovation in the Context of Globalization)
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8 pages, 1480 KiB  
Article
Documenting Local Food Knowledge at Hindukush: Challenges and Opportunities
by Muhammad Abdul Aziz
Societies 2023, 13(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13010001 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1778
Abstract
Local knowledge on food heritage is an important asset of communities in Hindkush Mountains of Pakistan. Literature is scarce on recording local food knowledge (LFK) and the associated challenges; therefore, to partially fill this gap of knowledge, the current research study presents an [...] Read more.
Local knowledge on food heritage is an important asset of communities in Hindkush Mountains of Pakistan. Literature is scarce on recording local food knowledge (LFK) and the associated challenges; therefore, to partially fill this gap of knowledge, the current research study presents an overview of some of the prominent challenges that curb documenting local knowledge on food heritage among various communities in the region. Qualitative data were gathered through direct observations during ethnobotanical research work across the region. The current research reveals that the complex sociocultural and political circumstances, in one way or another, might be impacting the recording of the LFK in the study areas. For instance, I have found that the fragile security circumstances in the western belt of the country is one of the obstacles that do not fully allow researchers to get access to the local communities. The lack of educational understanding among the local communities, especially those who are living in rural areas, has been creating a gap of communication between researchers and the communities. It is worth mentioning that globalization and social change have also changed the perception of the people regarding the local food resources and attached local knowledge. In addition, the policy issues linked to social science research in the country also have an indirect effect on community-based research, which does not encourage researchers to explore meaningful research findings. Hence, to deal with all these challenges, in this article, I propose some possible solutions to protect the local food heritage and practically revitalize the local/traditional knowledge through future development programs, as this knowledge is very important for combating future food insecurity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socioeconomic Innovation in the Context of Globalization)
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12 pages, 5690 KiB  
Article
Migrant Entrepreneurship and Social Integration: A Case-Study Analysis among Bangladeshi Vendors in Rome
by Michele Filippo Fontefrancesco and Sharon Mendonce
Societies 2022, 12(5), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12050139 - 6 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2523
Abstract
Migration and migrants’ integration are prominent aspects of globalized contemporary society. In this respect, a key question appears of how to foster the full participation of migrants in the host society. This article investigates the role of migrant entrepreneurship as a vector of [...] Read more.
Migration and migrants’ integration are prominent aspects of globalized contemporary society. In this respect, a key question appears of how to foster the full participation of migrants in the host society. This article investigates the role of migrant entrepreneurship as a vector of integration. Based on case-study research conducted among Bangladeshi vendors in Nuovo Mercato Esquilino in Rome, the article highlights the potentialities in terms of social and market innovation of such activity. However, it points out that this way forward cannot be considered a generalized solution, relying on strong social and cultural capital that not all migrants, in particular asylum seekers, may have. Thus, it proposes a normative adjustment to empowering migrants and facilitating their endeavors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socioeconomic Innovation in the Context of Globalization)
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18 pages, 662 KiB  
Concept Paper
Branding, Diplomacy, and Inclusion: The Role of Migrant Cuisines in Cities’ Local and International Action
by Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi
Societies 2023, 13(7), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13070151 - 25 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3612
Abstract
This paper features as its starting point the observation that unprecedented migration flows have made cultural diversity a common feature of most cities across the world. Among the many components of such diversity, gastronomy will be presented as both a primary employment niche [...] Read more.
This paper features as its starting point the observation that unprecedented migration flows have made cultural diversity a common feature of most cities across the world. Among the many components of such diversity, gastronomy will be presented as both a primary employment niche for migrants and a valuable resource for many municipalities’ intercultural turn aimed at enhancing social cohesion, local economic development, international cooperation, and branding. The paper will then discuss the relationship between diaspora cuisines and their countries of origin in the framework of the expanding field of gastrodiplomacy. Thus, the paper will present the increasingly evident distance between most countries’ authenticity discourse on national cuisine and the reality of their food scene. Finally, the approaches of cities and nations to gastronomic diversity will be compared, examining the possibilities for overcoming this dualism as the benefits of intercultural approaches become increasingly apparent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Socioeconomic Innovation in the Context of Globalization)
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