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TEPSIE

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Towards Measuring Social Innovation

Some Preliminary Thoughts

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Georg Mildenberger

Björn Schmitz

Eva Bund

Centre for Social Investment, University of Heidelberg

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Why measuring social innovation?

I would like to foster

social innovation.

But – where should I

start?

And: How can I know

my intervention works?

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Opportunities and challenges of

social innovation measurement

• Inform policy makers about the state of social innovation

and social innovativeness in a specific country

• Macro-level approach at national level

(as a complement to organizational analysis)

• No explicit social innovation measurement tool at hand

• Taking a look at existing approaches and their assumptions

and indicators

• Make adjustments according to social innovation

requirements

What is social innovation?

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The object of the measurement tool: Social Innovation

Core elements of social innovation

(Young Foundation 2012):

• Meets a social need

• Novelty

• Enhance society’s capacity to act

• From idea to implementation

• Effective

How can we measure social

innovation?

• Need-based-approach

• Need-legitimacy and urgency

• Framework conditions

• Innovation activity

• Field-specific outcomes

Take a look at existing approaches and learn from these!

What indicator systems are relevant for us?

• Methodologies measuring other types of innovation(Examples)

• Innovation Union Scoreboard,

• Global Innovation Index by INSEAD,

• Innovation in public sector organisations by NESTA,

• Australian Public Sector Innovation Indicators,

• …

What did we learn and how did we use this information?

• Methodologies using not-innovation based indicators in specific social fields help to adjust innovation measurement approaches in other fields

• OECD Better Life Index, TTT-Index, CIVICUS, National Footprint, …

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Theoretical assumptions found in the indicator

systems and the need for adjustments?

Category Suitable for

SI measurement

Needs to be

adjusted

Innovation as a non-linear process + +

Financial Resources + / - +

Knowledge + +

Knowledge Protection + / - +

Technology + / - +

Partnership & Networks + +

Entrepreneurship + +

Innovation Culture + +

• Main assumptions and correlations found in the indicator systems

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Our Framework

Model

Which indicators can be applied? 7

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Sub indicator Enabling framework conditions

a) Social Innovation investment framework

• Monetary variables of the social economy (TEPSIE)

• Public social expenditure (OECD)

• Private social spending (OECD)

b) Social Innovation institutional framework

• Structural variables of the social economy/ public sector organisations (TEPSIE)

• Social innovation scientific basis (article database)

• Social innovation infrastructure (WEF)

• Social Innovation networks (Ashoka, SI Awards)

c) Social Innovation political framework

• Basic civil liberties/ democracy (International Property Right Index)

• Policy awareness about social innovation (National innovation strategies)

• Legislation/ political stability (GII, IEF)

d) Social Innovation societal climate framework

• Social engagement (Civil Society Index, Volunteering in the EU)

• Public awareness about social needs (Web analytics)

• Citizens’ openness for something new/ readiness to take risks (ALLBUS, APSII)

• Tolerance (TTT-Index)

• Political participation (Civil Society Index)

• Informal sector (EUSI)

• Professionalization/ creative workforce (TTT-Index, Civil Society Index)

“Enhance society’s capacity to act” ✓

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Sub indicator Innovation Activities

• Innovation activity “(...) describes the pipelines of ideas flowing through an organisation (...)” (Nesta 2012)

• Social innovation activities by social entrepreneurs as well as by actors outside of the economic sphere such as the civil society, informal groups or individuals.

• Placed in the centre of the social innovation process influencing the different stages.

a) Social innovation investment activities

• Organisational and public investment in social innovation strategies

• Start-ups

• Volunteering

b) Social innovation institutional activities

• Social innovation projects currently being carried out

• Innovation strategies in social enterprises, civil society organisations, public sector

• Social innovation research activities (research projects)

c) Social innovation political activities

• Political social innovation strategies

• Legislation processes

d) Social innovation societal activities

• Advocacy activities for social needs

“From idea to implementation” ✓

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Sub indicator field-specific outcome and output

“Effective” ✓

• Measure the change in specific

fields of social problems and

their urgency (Maslow s

hierarchy of needs)

• Distinguish between

• Near outcomes (often on

organizational level)

• Far outcomes (on societal

level)

Physiological needs• Eating and Drinking

• Housing• Health & Care

Safety needs• Working

• Environment

Love, Belonging and esteem needs

• Education• Political participation

• Social Capital and Networks• Culture and Recreation

Measuring Social InnovationWhat you should keep in mind

• Aim for the needs of different audiences (academia, policy

makers, funders, innovators, …)

• Stick to an accepted and well balanced definition of social

innovation

• Carefully operationalize the definition

• Connect to existing indicators as close as possible

• Never give up!

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Literature References I

• Anheier, H. K., Schröer, A., Then, V. (2012): Soziale Investitionen. Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven,Wiesbaden.

• Gillwald, K. (2000): Konzepte sozialer Innovation, WZB paper, Querschnittsgruppe Arbeit und Ökologie, WZB, Berlin.

• Hoffmann-Riem, W. (2008): Soziale Innovationen. Eine Herausforderung für die Rechtswissenschaft, in: Der Staat 47 (4): 588-605.

• Howaldt, J.; Schwarz, M. (2010): Social Innovation: Concepts, research fields and international trends, Zentrum für Soziale Innovation, Vienna.

• Mulgan, G. (2012): Social Innovation Theory – Ideas for an Emerging Field, in: Nicholls, A., Murdock, A.: Social Innovation – Blurring Boundaries to Reconfigure Markets, Palgrave: 33-65

• OECD (2005): The Measurement of Scientific and Technological Activities Oslo Manual: Guidelines for Collecting and Interpreting Innovation Data, 3rd Edition, OECD Publishing.

• The Young Foundation (2012): Social Innovation Overview, A deliverable of the project: “The theoretical, empirical and policy foundations for building social innovation in Europe” (TEPSIE), European Commission – 7th Framework Programme, Brussels: European Commission, DG.

• Rothwell, R. (1994): Towards the Fifth-generation Innovation Process, in: International Marketing Review, Vol. 11, No 1.

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Literature References II

• Allman, K., Edler, J., Georghiou, L., Jones, B., Miles, I., Omidvar, O., Ramlogan, R., Rigby, J. (2011): Measuring Wider Framework Conditions for successful innovation. A system’s review of UK and international innovation data, NESTA.

• Australian Government – Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (2011): Working towards a measurement framework for public sector innovation in Australia. A draft discussion paper for the Australian Public Sector Innovation Indicators Project.

• Dutta, S. (2012): The Global Innovation Index 2011. Stronger Innovation Linkages for Global Growth, INSEAD, Fontainebleau.

• European Union (2012): Innovation Union Scoreboard. Research and Innovation Union Scoreboard.PRO INNO Europe.

• Ewing, B., Moore, D., Goldfinger, S., Oursler, A., Reed, A., Wackernagel, M. (2010): Ecological Footprint Atlas 2010.

• Hughes, A., Moore, K., Kataria, N. (2012): Innovation in Public Sector Organisations. A pilot survey for measuring innovation across the public sector, NESTA.

• Kröhnert, S., Morgenstern, A., Klingholz, R. (2007): Talente, Technologie und Toleranz – wo Deutschland Zukunft hat, Berlin-Institut für Bevölkerung und Entwicklung, Berlin.

• MERIT Technopolis (2012): European Public Sector Innovation Scoreboard (EPSIS) – Methodology report.

• Miles, N., et. al. (2009): The wider conditions for innovation in the UK. How the UK compares to leading innovation nations, NESTA.

• Naidoo, K. (2004): 'Preface', CIVICUS Civil Society Index Paper Series, Vol. 2, Issue 1.• OECD (2011): How’s Life? Measuring Well-Being, OECD Publishing, Paris.

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Thank you for your attention!

Contact: björn.schmitz@csi.uni-heidelberg.dewww.csi.uni-heidelberg.de

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