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Social innovation related to ecological crises: a systematic literature review and a research agenda for strong sustainability
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Umeå School of Business and Economics (USBE), Business Administration.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7379-7602
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Umeå School of Business and Economics (USBE), Business Administration.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8089-1952
School of Business, Economics and Law, Gothenburg University.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0186-0358
2021 (English)In: Journal of Cleaner Production, ISSN 0959-6526, E-ISSN 1879-1786, Vol. 325, article id 129316Article, review/survey (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

New technologies, market-based solutions, and regulation have proven inadequate in remedying today's human caused ecological crises. This suggests that detrimental social practices need to be fundamentally changed. While social innovation is one possible approach for such change, a comprehensive picture of research on social innovation in relation to ecological challenges is missing. Therefore, with an emphasis on so-called strong sustainability, this article's purpose was to investigate social innovation's potential in relation to ecological crises, to identify important gaps, and advance research implications. A systematic literature review of social innovation research that address environmental issues was carried out, and the resulting literature was analyzed according to sustainability and five dimensions of social innovation. To reap more of social innovation's potential in our time of ecological crises, we suggest a move in social innovation research towards strong sustainability and propose such research avenues within each of the five dimensions of social innovation: conceptualization, environmental needs and challenges, key resources, capabilities, and constraints, types of governance, networks and actors, and, finally, process dynamics for strongly sustainable social innovation.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2021. Vol. 325, article id 129316
Keywords [en]
Ecological crises, Environment, Strong sustainability, Weak sustainability, Sustainable development, Social innovation
National Category
Business Administration
Research subject
Business Studies
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-188658DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129316ISI: 000716326600003Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85117213382OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-188658DiVA, id: diva2:1603830
Available from: 2021-10-18 Created: 2021-10-18 Last updated: 2024-09-27Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Social innovation and environmental sustainability: towards strongly sustainable social innovation
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Social innovation and environmental sustainability: towards strongly sustainable social innovation
2024 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Alternative title[sv]
Social innovation och miljömässiga hållbarhet : behovet av starka hållbara sociala innovationer
Abstract [en]

Environmental challenges, like climate change, are becoming increasingly more severe. The current solutions, which have mainly relied on marketdriven, technology-based innovation to address environmental challenges, have proven insufficient. Instead, solutions must focus on altering the problematic activities and behaviors that have put our planet on its current unsustainable trajectory. One concept with potential to describe how activities and behaviors can be altered is social innovation. Social innovation is defined here as innovations in social practice that have relevance for addressing societal challenges. Social innovation can be enabled by social innovation initiatives, intentional attempts to alter problematic social practices with the aim of addressing a societal challenge. This dissertation aims to increase the understanding of how social innovation can address environmental challenges. To fulfill this purpose, this dissertation explores how social innovation can alter social practices to address environmental challenges. Then, to scrutinize this potential, the consequences of a strong sustainability perspective on social innovation are investigated.

Four articles were written to help fulfill the aim of this dissertation. First, an empirical paper explored how social innovation initiatives in the Nordic countries can potentially alter social practices to address the sustainable development goals. Second, a literature review scrutinized the current social innovation literature in relation to strong sustainability, leading to a research agenda. Third, an empirical paper focusing specifically on climate change as a pressing environmental challenge investigated social innovation initiatives’ potential for altering social practices. Fourth, social innovation is conceptualized according to strong sustainability. The main findings indicate that social innovation initiatives’ potential for addressing environmental challenges stems from them having a purpose that focuses on addressing societal challenges by introducing solutions that can alter social practices to be relevant for addressing environmental challenges. Through initiatives’ social ends and means, they alter the given meanings, competences, and materials used in social practices. Further, social innovation has potential for strong sustainability when social practices are innovated to recognize the criticality of nature, protect vital environmental functions, the hierarchy of importance, and lead to coexistence with nature. Finally, through social learning new social practices can be scaled and potentially lead to social change that can help provide a pathway for enabling an imaginable strong sustainable society.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Umeå: Umeå University, 2024. p. 109
Series
Studier i företagsekonomi. Serie B, ISSN 0346-8291 ; 110
Keywords
Social innovation, social innovation initiatives, strong sustainability, environmental sustainability, social practices
National Category
Business Administration
Research subject
Business Studies; sustainability
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-229941 (URN)978-91-8070-479-3 (ISBN)978-91-8070-480-9 (ISBN)
Public defence
2024-10-18, Lindellhallen 1 (UB.A.220), Samhällsvetarhuset, Biblioteksgränd 10, Umeå, 13:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2024-09-27 Created: 2024-09-23 Last updated: 2024-09-27Bibliographically approved

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Haskell, LucasBonnedahl, Karl JohanStål, Herman I.

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Citation style
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