Abstract
Social innovation is an umbrella concept that allows space for a diverse range of perspectives to co-exist. In this paper, we explore how practitioners negotiate this complexity. Conducting 19 interviews with stakeholders involved in social enterprise and social care in Scotland, we show that almost anything can be conceived of as a social innovation as defined by the European Union. The EU definition can be a useful tool for organizations to demonstrate to funders how and why they are socially innovative. However, in failing to interrogate the power dimension of social innovation, the EU definition neglects any transformative potential.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 2901-2920 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | Public Management Review |
Volume | 26 |
Issue number | 10 |
Early online date | 20 Dec 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2 Oct 2024 |
Keywords
- social care
- social enterprise
- social entrepreneurship
- Social innovation
- social innovation definitions
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Administration