The evaluation of social innovation
A review and integration of the current empirical knowledge base
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15080282 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter Milley (0000-0002-5819-8086, University of Ottawa, corresponding author), Barbara Szijarto (0000-0001-7574-2496, University of Ottawa), Kate Svensson (University of Ottawa), J Bradley Cousins (0000-0002-0684-6766, University of Ottawa) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 237-258 |
| Publication date | 2018-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Evaluation (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1356-3890 • E-ISSN: 1461-7153 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1356389018763242 |
| OpenAlex | W2800395496 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 20 |
| References cited | 40 |
Social innovation has gained prominence as a way to address social problems and needs. Evaluators and social innovators are conceptualizing and implementing evaluation approaches for social innovation contexts; however, no systematic effort has yet been made to explore and assess the overlap between evaluation and social innovation based on the empirical knowledge base. We address this gap, drawing on 28 empirical studies of evaluation in social innovation contexts to describe what evaluation practices look like, what drives those practices, and how they affect social innovations. Findings indicate most had developmental purposes, emphasized collaborative approaches, and used multiple methods. Prominent drivers were a complexity perspective, a learning-oriented focus, and the need for responsiveness. Reported influences on social innovations included advancing strategies, improving delivery, balancing aggregate and local information needs, and reducing risk. Conflict resolution, the quality of relationships, and availability of time and capacity mediated these influences. More peer-reviewed empirical studies and a broader range of study designs are needed, including research on how evaluations influence social innovation processes over time, phases, space and scale
Empirical research · Knowledge base · Knowledge management · Political science · Public relations · Social innovation · Social learning · Community Development and Social Impact · Community Health and Development · Computer Science · Evaluation and Performance Assessment
The Landscape of Social Innovation in Canadian Universities
Adolescent social innovation education
Zukunft gestalten mit Sozialen Innovationen
Defining social innovation for post-secondary educational institutions
Social innovation during turbulent times
Social innovation management to support integrated care
Mapping social innovation impact evaluation
The Role of Translation in Citizen Science to Foster Social Innovation
Revitalizing the BSC through knowledge management
Tensions of evaluating innovation in a living lab
Applying SCALE 3D for evaluating transformative social innovation
Making Space for Adaptive Learning
Evaluating Social Innovations
Rurality and social innovation processes and outcomes
Evaluating the social added value of Leader
The co-production of urban food policies
A conceptualisation of scale-up and sustainability of social innovations in global health
Social innovation and food provisioning initiatives to reduce food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic
Social Innovation Impacts and Their Assessment
Making the Prevention of Homelessness a Priority
Complexity Perspectives in Innovation and Social Change
At the Root of Change
The Art of the Nudge
Addressing the Challenges Encountered During a Developmental Evaluation
Future-oriented impact assessment
Complex, but not quite complex enough
Taking stock of complexity in evaluation
Contribution analysis
Using complexity-consistent theory for evaluating complex systems
Using Programme Theory to Evaluate Complicated and Complex Aspects of Interventions
Process Use of Evaluations
Theory-Based Evaluation and Types of Complexity
What if ‘What Works’ Doesn’t
Developmental evaluation
Evaluation and Negotiated Order
Insights on Using Developmental Evaluation for Innovating
Developmental Impact Evaluation for Facilitating Learning in Innovation Networks
Have We Learned Anything New About the Use of Evaluation
Managing Tensions Between Evaluation and Research
Introducing Evidence-Based Principles to Guide Collaborative Approaches to Evaluation
Performance Measurement for Social Enterprises
Knowledge Mobilization, Collaboration, and Social Innovation
Joint (ad)ventures and (in)credible journeys evaluating innovation
| Unique citing works | 20 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,5 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2025 (8) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 18 |