Skip to main content

Social innovation: What is it?

Cross-posted on Vijana FM | January 28, 2011

A lot of new terms have come our way in the last 15 years, and "social innovation" is a big one.

Social innovation is described by the Said Business School as "new ideas that meet unmet needs". It consists of fresh solutions to problems within the following areas (also from the Said Business School report), which are problems virtually experienced globally:
  • Rising life expectancy
  • Growing diversity of countries and cities
  • Stark inequalities
  • Rising incidence of long-term medical conditions
  • Behavioural problems of affluence
  • Difficult transitions to adulthood
  • Measuring happiness
"In each of these fields many of the dominant existing models simply do not work well enough. Often they are too inflexible and unimaginative. They may be fitted to past problems or bound by powerful interests. They may be provided by agencies that have become complacent or outdated. The result is unnecessary human suffering, and unrealised potential."

Of course, all of this innovation needs to be measured in order to grow or replicate. As the report suggests, it is important to distinguish "what is being scaled up, and how it is scaled up". Thus, understanding the value of the innovation is central to measuring it. We have written several posts on instances of how value can be measured, especially in the this field of social innovation.

Value in social innovation, after all, is derived from the sustenance of people. Hence, multi-national corporations like Microsoft, Grameen Bank, and more recently, Dell, strive to find ways to encourage a continuous process of social innovation; that is, finding value in unmet needs.

Dell's latest gig, the Dell Social Innovation Competition, is one of many opportunities that can help social innovators get their work started.
The University of Texas at Austin and Dell are looking for university students around the world with innovative ideas to solve a social or environmental problem. We’re giving away more than $100,000 in cash prizes to at least five winning teams who will be flown to Austin, Texas for an expense-paid Finalist Week-End that culminates in a final pitch and awards ceremony.

To learn more about the competition, check out this video.



This is one of many competitions globally that aims to increase social innovation in the world, especially by young people. Be sure to check out the Vijana FM resource bank for a growing list of links to such competitions and grant awards.

Related links:
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tanzania is not Tasmania

Dear friends: Please let's stop refering to Tanzania as Tasmania. Here is why. Tanzania is located on the coast of East Africa, below Kenya. It is not origin of the the cartoon character from your childhood. Tasmania is an island which is part of Australia. The animal known to exist only on Tasmania is the Tasmanian Devil. Once again, you will see this is not the cartoon character you remember from your childhood. Let's summarize: Tanzania is not Tasmania.
Post a Comment
Read more

Policy Brief 2: Why is Tanzania Poor?

(Policy Brief # 2 Submitted December 6th 2007, for Econ 346 - Economic Development, Lafayette College) Over the course of the 20th century, Tanzania experienced a multitude of social, political and economic changes. It still remains poor today. The WorldBank classifies a ‘low income country’ – such as Tanzania – as one with a Gross National Income per capita of $905 or less (WorldBank Data 2006). As of 1992, Tanzania ’s per capita income was recorded at $110, and average per capita consumption was $0.5 per day (OECD 2000). Several possible factors have been blamed for contributing to current hardships, such as Julius Nyerere’s failed attempts to collectivize agriculture between 1961 and 1975 through his socialist Ujamaa policies as the first president of Tanzania (Pratt 1980). While pre-independence plans “focused on the commercialization of agriculture and the creation of industries that could reduce the need for a variety of imports”, post-independence interventions by the Gov...
4 comments
Read more

Revision rinsed II

When discussing communication for development, we tend to argue against the models based only on diffusion of media technologies. That is, in pursuing a critical approach to development practices, we tend to support participatory approaches to technology use and engagement. Yet, we leave development practice in the abstract. We stop short at revised theory, and consult with practice initiators who attempt to materialize the abstract. Even there, we treat attempts as cases, and recriticize to align with still revised theory. It's time the field of communication for development confessed its efforts to change market-based activities. It's also time that it confessed that power in the market is strong, and at most times, stronger than the power of discourse. Instead, the field of communication for development should hold strong to the assumptions that structuralist development practice has not worked. That's that. Why go further to assume that a new theory is needed, or...
Post a Comment
Read more