Exploring the Intersection of Social Policy and Social Innovation

Dear Colleagues,

We live in an age of complex and accelerated transformation, which is reflected by the fact that diversity, uncertainty, and the need for constant change in the face of unresolved problems are characteristics of contemporary societies. Despite the economic growth and technological development achieved, human well-being and social cohesion continue to be undermined by old structural problems and new challenges. Intolerable levels of poverty and disadvantage, often associated with human rights violations and oppressive practices, coexist with the challenges posed by demographic and environmental changes, the pressure exerted by migratory movements, transformations in employment and labour markets, housing shortages, and the digital divide.

For many of these problems, the main actor in its repair or mitigation has been the State, implementing social policies based on a “mixed economy of welfare”—involving public, private, and civil society, as well as family provision. However, as Ulrich Beck mentioned, we continue to insist on basic responses for dilemmas whose solutions escape conventional responses. The providential action of States is increasingly limited by political options that impose financial cuts and favour privatization, and these States ultimately face opposition from anti-welfare policy movements. On the other hand, there are growing demands for more direct citizen participation in social policies. Furthermore, conventional welfare provision is criticized for being reactive rather than preventive.

This context has increased the attention paid to social innovation, which we can understand as societal reactions to social needs through the transformation of social relations. Examples of historical social innovations range from carpooling and community health centres to social employment initiatives or recycling cooperatives. By transforming social relations, social innovation can lead to new forms of organizing, solidarities, or the creation of opportunities for groups that were previously deprived of them. Governments play a key role in innovation, but many social innovations emerge in a “bottom up” manner and can involve new societal actors. The involvement of these outside actors can also come with new discourses or a reframing or politicizing of social needs that are unmet by both States and markets. Social innovation can bring about new contributions in the form of new products or services aspiring to a transformative vision of development and collective relations. This phenomenon can be seen as a space for mutual learning, collective co-construction, and local governance practices.

While there is optimism about social innovation's potential to recreate and make social policies more efficient, caution is necessary regarding the impact and scalability of ongoing projects, their financial viability and sustainability, their capacity to (structurally) challenge dominant systems and ideologies, and their ability to resist domestication of the empowerment discourse. At the intersection of social policy and social innovation, there is potential to explore, but there are also challenges that require careful analysis.

Given this background, the aim of this Special Issue is to collect innovative research and critical perspectives from diverse disciplines, including sociology, political science, public administration, management, and psychology, that address the challenges and opportunities presented by the intersection of social policy and social innovation. We encourage empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions that critically assess the transformative power of social innovation.

Prof. Dr. Alcides Almeida Monteiro
Dr. Tuur Ghys
Guest Editors

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• social innovation
• social policy
• social problems