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This book explores how the State can play a role as an enabler of citizens-led social innovations, to accelerate the shift to sustainable and socially just lifestyles. To meet the twin challenges of environmental degradation and the rise of inequalities, societal transformation is urgent. Most theories of social change focus either on the role of the State, on the magic of the market, or on the power of technological innovation. This book explores instead how local communities, given the freedom to experiment, can design solutions that can have a transformative impact. Change cannot rely only on central ordering by government, nor on corporations suddenly acting as responsible citizens. Societal transformation, at the speed and scope required, also should be based on the reconstitution of social capital, and on new forms of democracy emerging from collective action at the local level. The State matters of course, for the provision of both public services and of social protection, and to discipline the market, but it should also act as an enabler of citizen-led experimentation, and it should set up an institutional apparatus to ensure that collective learning spreads across jurisdictions. Corporations themselves can ensure that society taps the full potential of citizens-led social innovations: they can put their know-how, their access to finance, and their control of logistical chains in the service of such innovations, rather than focusing on shaping consumers’ tastes or even adapting to consumers’ shifting expectations. With this aim in mind, this book provides empirical evidence of how social innovations, typically developed within "niches", initially at a relatively small scale, can have society-wide impacts. It also examines the nature of the activism deployed by social innovators, and the emergence of a "do-it-yourself" form of democracy. This book will appeal to all those interested in driving societal change and social innovation to ensure a sustainable and socially just future for all.

This book explores how the State can play a role as an enabler of citizens-led social innovations, to accelerate the shift to sustainable and socially just lifestyles. To meet the twin challenges of environmental degradation and the rise of inequalities, societal transformation is urgent. Most theories of social change focus either on the role of the State, on the magic of the market, or on the power of technological innovation. This book explores instead how local communities, given the freedom to experiment, can design solutions that can have a transformative impact. Change cannot rely only on central ordering by government, nor on corporations suddenly acting as responsible citizens. Societal transformation, at the speed and scope required, also should be based on the reconstitution of social capital, and on new forms of democracy emerging from collective action at the local level. The State matters of course, for the provision of both public services and of social protection, and to discipline the market, but it should also act as an enabler of citizen-led experimentation, and it should set up an institutional apparatus to ensure that collective learning spreads across jurisdictions. Corporations themselves can ensure that society taps the full potential of citizens-led social innovations: they can put their know-how, their access to finance, and their control of logistical chains in the service of such innovations, rather than focusing on shaping consumers’ tastes or even adapting to consumers’ shifting expectations. With this aim in mind, this book provides empirical evidence of how social innovations, typically developed within "niches", initially at a relatively small scale, can have society-wide impacts. It also examines the nature of the activism deployed by social innovators, and the emergence of a "do-it-yourself" form of democracy. This book will appeal to all those interested in driving societal change and social innovation to ensure a sustainable and socially just future for all.

Recent years have seen a surge of interest in prefigurative politics, which refers to the political strategies that model a future society on a micro level and aim to instantiate radical social change in and through practice. While most previous studies have focused on defining the concept and categorizing various types of prefiguration, this paper contributes by investigating under what circumstances prefiguration leads to revolutionary social change. The paper takes an original approach to these issues by turning to transition studies and the socio-technical change literature. This field focuses on the technical equivalence of prefiguration: namely, the relationship between small-scale niche innovations and large-scale technological transitions. Through theoretical discussions and empirical illustrations, this paper presents a typology of five transition pathways through which prefigurative strategies may result in a range of social change outcomes from reformative to revolutionary transformation.

Recent years have seen a surge of interest in prefigurative politics, which refers to the political strategies that model a future society on a micro level and aim to instantiate radical social change in and through practice. While most previous studies have focused on defining the concept and categorizing various types of prefiguration, this paper contributes by investigating under what circumstances prefiguration leads to revolutionary social change. The paper takes an original approach to these issues by turning to transition studies and the socio-technical change literature. This field focuses on the technical equivalence of prefiguration: namely, the relationship between small-scale niche innovations and large-scale technological transitions. Through theoretical discussions and empirical illustrations, this paper presents a typology of five transition pathways through which prefigurative strategies may result in a range of social change outcomes from reformative to revolutionary transformation.

Titre officiel : Recommandations du Groupe directeur chargé de la co-création de la stratégie d'innovation sociale et de finance sociale Le Canada est une terre d'innovateurs. Notre pays a une riche tradition d'innovation à des fins sociales et environnementales, que l'on pense aux peuples autochtones dont les sociétés ont prospéré grâce à l'interdépendance de leur culture et à leur ingéniosité, aux caisses populaires établies au tournant du 20e siècle pour assurer l'accès au crédit dans leur région ou encore aux premiers réseaux de bénévoles et de donateurs qui ont fait leur apparition pendant la Première Guerre mondiale pour recueillir les fonds à l'appui de leurs collectivités. Aujourd'hui, plus que jamais, nous devons tirer parti de cet esprit novateur. Les défis sociaux, économiques et environnementaux complexes auxquels fait face notre pays – l'itinérance, les changements climatiques, l'emploi des jeunes et la crise des opioïdes, pour ne nommer que ceux-là – exigent de la créativité et des solutions transformatrices. Si nous voulons faire mieux, il nous incombe de travailler différemment.

Titre officiel : Recommandations du Groupe directeur chargé de la co-création de la stratégie d'innovation sociale et de finance sociale Le Canada est une terre d'innovateurs. Notre pays a une riche tradition d'innovation à des fins sociales et environnementales, que l'on pense aux peuples autochtones dont les sociétés ont prospéré grâce à l'interdépendance de leur culture et à leur ingéniosité, aux caisses populaires établies au tournant du 20e siècle pour assurer l'accès au crédit dans leur région ou encore aux premiers réseaux de bénévoles et de donateurs qui ont fait leur apparition pendant la Première Guerre mondiale pour recueillir les fonds à l'appui de leurs collectivités. Aujourd'hui, plus que jamais, nous devons tirer parti de cet esprit novateur. Les défis sociaux, économiques et environnementaux complexes auxquels fait face notre pays – l'itinérance, les changements climatiques, l'emploi des jeunes et la crise des opioïdes, pour ne nommer que ceux-là – exigent de la créativité et des solutions transformatrices. Si nous voulons faire mieux, il nous incombe de travailler différemment.

Social entrepreneurship is one of the most notable innovations in the global era. By challenging the conventions of established social and environmental organizations and building new models of cooperation and exchange between the public, private, and civil society sectors, social entrepreneurship aims to provide systemic and scalable solutions to some of the most pressing threats and urgent issues that currently impact billions of people around the world. It is concerned with the effects of climate change and environmental degradation, new health pandemics, water and energy crises, growing migration, seemingly intractable issues of inequality and endemic poverty, the rise of terrorism and nuclear instability, and the “challenge of affluence” in many developed countries. The impact and influence of social entrepreneurship can be identified across the world in terms of direct interventions and action on the ground and also in terms of its wider, political influence as a movement for societal change that aims to reframe debates and alter institutional logics to increase the effectiveness of the provision of public goods and grow the positive externalities of social and environmental action. This entry defines social entrepreneurship as a global-level phenomenon and locates it as a new set of logics and institutions that aim to achieve systemic change and address market failures across the public, private, and civil society spheres.

Social entrepreneurship is one of the most notable innovations in the global era. By challenging the conventions of established social and environmental organizations and building new models of cooperation and exchange between the public, private, and civil society sectors, social entrepreneurship aims to provide systemic and scalable solutions to some of the most pressing threats and urgent issues that currently impact billions of people around the world. It is concerned with the effects of climate change and environmental degradation, new health pandemics, water and energy crises, growing migration, seemingly intractable issues of inequality and endemic poverty, the rise of terrorism and nuclear instability, and the “challenge of affluence” in many developed countries. The impact and influence of social entrepreneurship can be identified across the world in terms of direct interventions and action on the ground and also in terms of its wider, political influence as a movement for societal change that aims to reframe debates and alter institutional logics to increase the effectiveness of the provision of public goods and grow the positive externalities of social and environmental action. This entry defines social entrepreneurship as a global-level phenomenon and locates it as a new set of logics and institutions that aim to achieve systemic change and address market failures across the public, private, and civil society spheres.