The role of social innovation policy in social service sector reform

Evidence from Hong Kong

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2116239
AutoresChee Hon Chan (0000-0002-4112-9383, Chinese University of Hong Kong), Cheryl Hiu-Kwan Chui (0000-0002-3284-5724, University of Hong Kong), Yanto Chandra (0000-0003-1083-5813, Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
Año2022
Volumen51
Número2
Páginas346-364
Fecha de publicación2022-04-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Social Policy (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0047-2794 • E-ISSN: 1469-7823
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0047279421000167
OpenAlexW3142243143
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas6
Referencias citadas39

This article illustrates how the term 'social innovation' is used in the public policy domain in Hong Kong in relation to the new public management (NPM) reform of the social service sector, which originated in the early 2000s. Through document reviews and interviews, the role that social innovation policy has played in instigating changes in the contemporary social service field in the post-NPM era is identified. This includes facilitating emergence of 'new' forms of social entrepreneurial activities to fill unmet social needs, empowering new actors in entering the social service sector, and reinforcing the government's position in the NPM reform. Adopting historical institutionalism as the analytical framework, multiple path-dependent characteristics arising from the historical legacies of the incumbent social service environment - such as the longstanding partnership between the state and non-profits - are highlighted. These historical factors have weakened the efficacy of the policy efforts aimed at enacting institutional change. Overall, this article demonstrates how historical context matters in the emergence and framing of social innovation policy. It contributes to the theorisation of the role of social innovation in social service sector development in East Asia

Context (archaeology) · Economic growth · Economics · Economy · Framing (construction) · Historical institutionalism · Political science · Politics · Public policy · Public relations · Public sector · Social change · Social policy · Sociology · Healthcare innovation and challenges · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Public Administration · Social Policy and Reform Studies