What is Social Innovation?

SOCIAL INNOVATION = an alteration of what is established by the introduction of new elements or forms (including new ideas, practices and policies, or resource flows). In particular the alteration of patterns of social action and engagement to allow for an improvement in or transformation of intransigent and broadly based social problems. Social innovation is a continuous process, not a fixed address.

The concept is founded on the following assumptions:

1. The need for social innovation is obvious and compelling. The opportunity for social innovation is less obvious, but, equally compelling.
2. Social problems are, by nature, complex problems- social innovators work in complex systems.
3. Social innovation requires collaborative enterprise; the social sector, public sector and private sector must work together to create transformative change.
4. Social innovation requires new forms of knowledge production, combining knowledge from multiple disciplines and from both theory and practice to reframe and solve problems.