Conclusion: the future of social innovation and social policy

The concluding chapter reflects on some of the key findings and prominent themes evident from the contributions, and considers some of the implications for theory and policy that could be learned from these. It argues that the positive effects of SI have not yet effected the transformation in social and economic conditions that is required to deal with current changes and future crises. In order to make the impact on the scale required, innovations must be allied to social and political movements. SI should become the applied dimension of political activism, and Social Policy analysis a practical guide to its realisation.