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- Convenor:
-
José Francisco Romero-Muñoz
(Benémerita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla)
Send message to Convenor
- Format:
- Traditional Open Panel
Short Abstract:
We invite STS scholars to present examples of social innovation. We want to explore and discuss the various forms that social innovation takes in practice. Our panel will make analysis of how evidence of social innovation can be seen and how to foster innovations processes for the common good.
Long Abstract:
Social Innovation (SI) continues to gain importance as an alternative paradigm to other forms of innovation, focusing on generating social value and not just private value. The interest in SI can be seen in the growing academic literature of the last two decades. Likewise, it is included in various political speeches of international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations, the European Commission, The World Economic Forum, among others. SI is often introduced as the most convenient paradigm to face the social, economic, political, and environmental challenges of the 21st century. Although certain academic literature presumes various positive experiences of SI, frequently, it is difficult to find clear conceptions about what it means with evidence that shows its existence and effectiveness. Various criticisms are frequently mentioned in the available studies. It has been said that the body of literature is inconsistent, ambiguity persists in the term, and that it is not clear whether it should be considered as a phenomenon or a theoretical framework. Despite all, the current global context requires SI to reduce the problems that are common to everyone. Problems such as climate change, the eradication of poverty, gender equity, cannot be tackled without forms of social collaboration and innovation. We invite STS scholars to join a discussion of the diverse forms of social innovation and its evidence. We propose a panel that supports the cross-fertilization of STS and other studies on Innovation and Technology (for instance Hess, D. J., & Sovacool, B. K. (2020). Sociotechnical matters: Reviewing and integrating science and technology studies with energy social science. Energy Research & Social Science, 65, 101462). In this way, contributions from various disciplinary fields will be welcome; especially those that present empirical research results that uncover evidence-based forms of social innovation.
Accepted papers:
Session 1José Francisco Romero-Muñoz (Benémerita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla) Wietse De Vries Meijer (Benemérita Unversidad Autónoma de Puebla)
Short abstract:
This research aims to compile and analyze the entrepreneurship study programs taught in Mexico in the last twenty years, to make an inventory of programs, compare them, and reflect on how to teach entrepreneurship in the university environment.
Long abstract:
The advancement of entrepreneurship has increased in Mexico in the last two decades following recommendations from international organizations such as the OECD, which have promoted the idea that the university can and should participate in the socioeconomic development of nations. Various programs have emerged to train entrepreneurs at all educational levels, mainly at the upper secondary and tertiary levels.
A recent line of research explores entrepreneurship in higher education, and several empirical studies have addressed these aspects. These studies analyze aspects like the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process for the development of entrepreneurship, difficulties in fulfilling the university mission of promoting entrepreneurship, the context of university entrepreneurship, psychosocial characteristics in the entrepreneurial intention of students, and problems of the development of competencies, skills, initiatives, culture, attitudes, and entrepreneurial spirit in students (Damián-Simón, 2022a, 2022b).
However, research on teaching entrepreneurship remains scarce and addresses the above topics only partially. In Mexico, a little-explored aspect is the curricular content of entrepreneurship education in recent decades. This research aims to compile and analyze the entrepreneurship study programs taught in Mexico in the last twenty years, particularly those that stand out nationally, to make an inventory of programs, compare them, and reflect on how to teach entrepreneurship in the university environment. A particular objective of this study is to explore the incorporation of social entrepreneurship and social innovation in entrepreneurship education, given the international relevance of this type of preparation.
Kajal Kumari (Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat India) Hemant Kumar (Department of Studies in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, School of Social Sciences, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, In)
Short abstract:
This paper explores a case study on menstrual hygiene entrepreneurship within the context of social innovation. The study finds that Self Help Groups face challenges in implementing and running a sanitary pad production unit due to social taboos and lack of support from the formal sector.
Long abstract:
Social innovation is a groundbreaking concept that expedites the development of fresh ideas in order to effectively address previously unmet societal needs (Mulgan et al., 2007). By harnessing the power of ingenuity and creativity, social innovation strives to revolutionize existing systems and practices. When the revolution is at local or regional level, grassroot innovations play the role, aiming to bring about positive and transformative changes in various spheres of society (Maldonado-Mariscal, 2023). Through the relentless pursuit of novel ideas and approaches, seeks to bridge gaps, tackle complex social challenges, and ultimately foster a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient society for all (Moulaert et al., 2013). This paper employs an exploratory approach, utilizing a case study analysis of menstrual hygiene entrepreneurship of Self Help Groups within the context of social innovation where a grassroots innovation has been implemented for sustainable production and practices of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM). Results suggest that there are numerous challenges faced by SHGs in implementing and running the sanitary pads production unit due to social taboos, lack of infrastructure, and other support systems from the formal sector in the region. The study's distinctiveness is rooted in the selected framework, which examines the intersection of social entrepreneurship and grassroots innovation in diffusion of commercialisation of innovations from the informal sector . It also highlights the challenges faced by the grassroots innovations during the process of diffusion and commercialisation. Further, it suggests a few social and policy implications of this research.
Valeria Ramirez (University of Cambridge)
Short abstract:
A flourishing expression of social innovation in academia is through knowledge exchange. While its social value is undoubtable, the metrics to assess this are often contested if not absent. This paper explores the KE evaluation frameworks and proposes a new approach for social impact assessment.
Long abstract:
Teaching, research and knowledge exchange (KE) are three key missions of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The last one involves infrastructures, support mechanisms and collaborative processes between universities and non-academic partners aiming to deliver economic and societal impact. While the economic value of technology transfer activities such as licensing or spin-offs is relatively well defined, the social value of these innovations is hardly measured.
Furthermore, KE practices also include academic activities for social impact whose visibility might be hindered owing to the lack of accountability and measurement conventions (Desrosières, 2010; Espeland & Sauder, 2007; Power, 2013). Academic initiatives such as advisory work for policy making, social ventures, consultancy or entrepreneurial initiatives with local communities are manifestations of social innovation for regenerative development and integral part of academic citizenship for faculty members and students, yet the metrics that might provide evidence of their value are highly contested. (Mawson, 2023; Perkmann et al., 2021; Pitt et al., 2023)
Notwithstanding, the potential of KE to contribute to sustainable development has prompted national governments to support KE with funding and public policy. Over the past 30 years specific evaluation frameworks have been developed accordingly (Ulrichsen, 2023; Ulrichsen et al., 2023; Ulrichsen & Moore, 2014). This presentation aims, firstly, to review KE evaluation frameworks for academic engagement. Secondly, drawing on previous research on meaningful measurement (Ramirez, 2023) an innovative approach to developing metrics for the social innovations will be proposed and, thirdly, this framework will be applied to a specific study case in the KE field.
MENGUE CHARLY (University of Yaounde 2-Cameroon)
Long abstract:
The objective of this work is to analyze the determinants of women’s participation in the use of e-learning in Cameroon. The methodology implemented uses data from the survey on the practice of new digital media carried out in Cameroon in 2021 by the Center for Research Studies in Economics and Management (Cereg) with the technical support of the National Institute of Statistics (Ins). The results of the estimates carried out on the basis of the dichotomous Logit model and deepened by the Heckman regression show that there is a positive and significant relationship between the use of e-learning by women and the Francophone and Anglophone education subsystems with probabilities increasing by 11.59% and 7.81% respectively. This would testify to the acceptance of e-learning technology by Women in these two educational subsystems. This is how the use of e-learning has a positive effect on obtaining a higher education diploma with an increase in the probability of 2.4%. However, there is no link between the use of e-learning and obtaining a primary diploma and a secondary diploma. This would justify the inadequacy of policies related to the use of e-learning to improve success or even school performance in these educational subsystems.
Lilia Gomez (Benemerita universidad autonoma de Puebla) Wietse De Vries Meijer (Benemérita Unversidad Autónoma de Puebla)
Long abstract:
According to the literature, social innovation could generate many benefits for community development; However, there are very few empirical studies that support this statement. To find out what the benefits or drawbacks of social innovation are, this project compares two rural communities in the municipality of Atzitzihuacan in the state of Puebla, Mexico.
The community of San Pedro Ixhuatepec has been subject only to federal policies that seek to promote social and economic development. In contrast, the community of Santiago Atzitzihuacan, in addition to public policies, has participated in several development projects that seek social innovation and involve external actors such as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and a state public university.
In both communities, development indicators are reviewed and key informants are interviewed.
Birgit Teufer (FERNFH Distance-University of Applied Sciences) Vivien Marx (FERNFH Distance-University of Applied Sciences)
Long abstract:
Facing the social, economic, political and environmental challenges of the 21st century, social innovation (SI) is emerging as a key paradigm that prioritizes the creation of social value over private value. This study positions Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) as a vibrant example of SI, aimed at tackling chronic diseases, mental health issues, and environmental challenges through sustainable food systems. By fostering local farming and offering healthier consumption patterns, CSA addresses not only environmental sustainability but also social inequalities by making healthy food accessible to economically disadvantaged populations.
Despite the potential of CSA, critiques highlight its exclusivity and limited reach. The proposed Cost-Offset-CSA (CO-CSA) model seeks to counteract this by facilitating access for low-income households through innovative subsidizing schemes, including member donations, grants, and income-adjusted pricing strategies.
Our ongoing study investigates CO-CSA's relevance for low-income families in Austria, exploring payment preferences, subsidy acceptability, and participation barriers. Preliminary results from an online survey of 93 participants reveal moderate CSA familiarity, a preference for public funding over member donations or income-adjusted prices, and an average willingness to pay of 22.77 euros for weekly harvest shares. These findings underscore the potential of CSA as a social innovation that can contribute to economic equity and environmental sustainability.
By integrating empirical research with the SI discourse, this study offers valuable insights for broader CSA adoption and implementation strategies. It contributes to the literature on SI by providing evidence of CSA's effectiveness in fostering social value.
Jaya Kritika Ojha (Central University of Rajasthan)
Long abstract:
The Thar Desert is a resource-scarce region in western Rajasthan in India. Agriculture production is limited in region and non-farm activities substitute the income of rural communities for their livelihoods. There exists a cadre of rural women artisans, skilled in embroidery craft, makes beautiful products to support their families, but due to the socio-economic structure of the society, women artisans are not able to progress much. Owing to lack of skills, digital technology, access to new and emerging markets, bargaining power, and relevant and most updated information, women enterprises lack advanced entrepreneurial skills and technological support to innovate marketing and sales for the emerging markets. Examining the challenges faced by these artisans in accessing digital technology amidst social, economic, environmental, and pandemic aspects, the study explores the interconnected systems, processes, and variables influencing their digital empowerment and the role of partnerships with external organisations, financial institutions and CSRs in establishing digital hubs for women artisans in remote areas. Employing an explanatory sequential design and a mixed-methods approach, the research uses multistage clustered sampling in the Thar Desert's four districts with 400 sample size. Findings reveal obstacles such as poverty, limited resources, and traditional roles hindering women artisans' digital engagement. It suggests of collaborative efforts and proposes The Digital Ecosystem Framework to establish Rural-Digital Crafts Resource Centres. The multifaceted strategy is required for digital ecosystem development, emphasising digital infrastructure, capacity building, access to e-markets, financial inclusion, government support, and data-driven decision-making to enhance the income and status of rural women artisans.
Sifka Etlar Frederiksen (German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM))
Long abstract:
After the influx of refugees in 2015, the harsh conditions and considerable violence within refugee accommodations in Germany came under scrutiny, prompting the establishment of a federal initiative focused on knowledge acquisition and protection strategies for these settings. This initiative led to the formation of minimum standards for violence protection and emphasized the need for monitoring their implementation. The Violence Protection Monitor was suggested to support this.
This paper explores the creation and implementation of the Violence Protection Monitor, as a sociotechnical phenomenon aimed at enhancing safety in refugee accommodations. The program is designed to facilitate critical reflections on accommodation conditions, their enhancements and regressions for both employees and management, and its development and implementation has varied across seven states in Germany. As such this paper offers insight into the co-production process within different state institutions and policy frameworks.
Drawing on Bourdieusian and co-production (Jasanoff, 2004) frameworks, this study examines the dynamics among key actors involved in the development, adaptation, and implementation of the Violence Protection Monitor. Data from workshops, meetings, and events between 2019 and 2022 provide a nuanced qualitative investigation of the practices around the program and scrutinizes the collaborative and top-down approaches. Further, the paper underscores power dynamics between stakeholders on different levels (state, refugee accommodations, research team, NGO’s) and the persistence of hierarchical structures despite the new program. The process shows the importance and potential of collaboration across all levels of governance of refugee accommodations, which remains crucial in improving violence protection in German refugee accommodations.
Flor Avelino (Utrecht University) Bonno Pel (Utrecht University) Julia Wittmayer (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Long abstract:
We conceptualize social Innovation (SI) as sets of ideas, objects and/or activities that change social-material relations and involve new ways of doing, thinking and organizing. We distinguish and specify different relevant units of analysis, including SI-initiatives, SI-actors and SI-fields. Furthermore, we explore the transformative potential of SI in terms of the processes through which SI-initiatives/actors/fields challenge, alter and/or replace dominant structures and institutions in a specific social-material context. In our social-material conceptualization of transformative social innovation, we bridge relational approaches developed in sociology, actor-network theory and co-production studies, with more evolutionary perspectives as found in socio-technical transition research and sustainability studies, so as to offer a critical and systemic perspective on the transformative potential of social innovation.
Examples of social innovation with transformative ambitions include a very wide diversity (e.g. sharing platforms, citizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting, food cooperatives, urban farming, co-working spaces, digital fabrication, ecovillages, and many more). In this paper, we focus on the example of decentralized energy production. More specifically, we use our social-material conceptualization of social innovation to take stock of, and compare, how cases of decentralized energy have been empirically analysed as social innovation across four specific EU-funded research projects: Transformative Social Innovation Theory (TRANSIT), Prosumers for the Energy Union (PROSEU), Social Innovation in Energy Transitions (SONNET) and EnergyPROSPECTS. Based on this empirical comparison and our conceptual heuristic, we conclude with avenues for future research on social innovation from a social-material perspective.
Yasmin Afshar (Arizona State University)
Long abstract:
The Future of Electric Vehicle Transition in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area
Electric vehicles are increasingly recognized as a key solution in the fight against climate change. However, existing scholarship often lacks a systemic perspective that integrates social dimensions, decision-making, and emerging technologies while simultaneously shaping the future of the EV transition.
To fill this gap, our study draws on a socio-technical transition framework to examine the complex interactions between social and technological elements and explore the mid-term stages of transition in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. The study further seeks to answer how the future of the EV transition will unfold in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area in the next five to ten years.
We first aim to provide a holistic understanding of EV infrastructure deployment initiatives and then specifically examine the role of utility decision-making in promoting electric vehicle infrastructure deployment.
Our approach involves a comprehensive review of publicly available documents, such as EV strategic plans, climate action plans, and policy papers, to identify the key actors and organizations in the EV ecosystem. Furthermore, we will conduct twenty-five semi-structured interviews with selected stakeholders to gain deeper insights into the dynamics of the EV transition. Our preliminary results indicate that the EV landscape in the Phoenix Metro Area will likely be diverse and heterogeneous in the near term.
Keywords: Socio-technical Systems, EV Transition, EV Infrastructure Deployment
Dwayne Ansah (Utrecht University)
Long abstract:
Data altruism, characterized by voluntary data sharing for societal benefits, represents a paradigmatic shift in EU data governance, challenging conventional notions of capitalism, ownership and control. Within this context, data altruism emerges as a form of social innovation that fosters collaboration and collective action to address contemporary societal challenges. By transcending individual interests and promoting the common good, data altruism may be framed as a social innovation in the EU data infrastructure , which emphasizes bottom-up approaches to problem-solving, inclusive governance and the socio-political dimensions of data collection, analysis, and use.
Through empirical examples, such as collaborative data-sharing initiatives in scientific research and environmental monitoring, this contribution demonstrates how data altruism can drive social innovation by enabling new forms of knowledge production and collective decision-making. Specifically, this contribution discusses the implications of data altruism for governance structures, emphasizing the need for participatory and reflexive approaches to data governance that account for diverse stakeholders' interests and values.
By integrating insights from social innovation theory, this contribution develops a nuanced understanding of data altruism as a socio-technical phenomenon that shapes and is shaped by broader social, political, legal and economic contexts. It underscores the transformative potential of data altruism, while also highlighting the challenges and complexities inherent in its implementation within existing data sharing practices. Ultimately, this contribution calls for a reimagining of data governance that prioritizes societal well-being and collective action, guided by principles of justice, democracy and the notion of the common good.
Les Levidow (Open University)
Long abstract:
In Latin America, the term ‘innovation’ has been contentious. It has become associated with Northern neocolonial models, whose capital-intensive investments seek labour exploitation, resource plunder, economic growth and a competitive advantage in global markets. By contrast, solidaristic alternatives have elaborated the concept ‘social technology’. These are designed for democratic self-management, user benefits, and low-cost easy reproduction. Hence ‘social technology’ has analogies with ‘social innovation’ in the global North.
Social technology has arisen especially from producers’ initiatives for a solidarity economy. Later the original concept was expanded to ‘socio-environmental technologies’, making explicit the aim to minimise resource burdens. Such technologies are exemplified by agroecological production methods, for which techno-designs have helped conserve natural resources. To avoid pest problems, farmers cultivate many crop varieties, while exchanging the seeds and experiential knowledge. To capture rainwater, for example, modular cisterns depend on mutual aid for their construction.
For a solidarity economy, some technologies help to bring producers socially closer to consumers through short supply chains; these encompass farmers’ markets, weekly box schemes, Community Supported Agriculture and public procurement. These have become prominent in Latin America as a solidarity economy. Many initiatives began or extended digital platforms for food orders, especially cell-phone apps, thereby reaching more consumers than before. These efforts have depended upon wider solidaristic expertise and networks –for designing each innovation, as well as for educating consumers about the many societal benefits. STS perspectives have engaged such efforts through Participatory Action Research, extending the horizontal knowledge-exchange which generate and popularise such innovations.
Anwesha Chakraborty (University of Bologna) Paolo Bory (Politecnico di Milano)
Long abstract:
Discussions of what the metaverse is and what it constitutes gained a momentum after Mark Zuckerberg announced his Meta project in 2021 with massive financial commitments and accompanied by global fanfare. Although the media hype around the metaverse has diminished in the last year, multiple economic and technological actors are designing the future metaverse and helping in the emergence of a consolidated narrative around it. Turning the gaze towards Italy, the local edition of Wired reported that a recent national survey revealed high recognition and positive sentiments among respondents about the metaverse. They also knew that the metaverse will be actualised through the confluence of multiple emerging technologies although most had only experienced immersive worlds via digital avatars in video games such as Fortnite and Call of Duty.
Starting from the critical literature around infrastructures and virtual worlds and how they can impact the creation of a global digital public good, this exploratory paper attempts to understand how different actors in the Italian economy are designing different metaverse-related projects, which are the technologies on which the projects run and in turn, how they are envisioning new publics of the metaverse through the affordances of technologies such as smart glasses, VR headsets, etc. The paper will trace these early narratives of metaverse according to some key commercial actors based in Milan to understand if and to what extent they are re-defining digital commons and public goods through the design and use of their products.