New report: How philanthropy is supporting Business for Good in South East Asia

The Asia region, and specifically businesses operating within it, have an important role to play in transitioning our planet to a sustainable and green future. But the climate breakdown is an intersectional challenge — that means every sector needs to work together effectively, and for that to happen, people within different institutions need to understand ... New report: How philanthropy is supporting Business for Good in South East Asia

By Louise Pulford & Josiane Smith

August 23, 2022



Report: Motivations for Business to Create Shared Value in Hong Kong

The coronavirus outbreak has triggered the biggest global economic, health care and social crisis in centuries. This is a time for all sectors to reflect on their approaches and develop new ways of doing things. And it includes the private sector. In the post-pandemic world, the new business landscape is complex and uncertain. Amongst technological ... Report: Motivations for Business to Create Shared Value in Hong Kong

January 8, 2021



Cities of the future – Seoul as a people-powered city

Unlocking the power of people in Seoul This collection of essays and case studies brings together innovators from around the world to reflect on the pioneering work of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) over the last decade. Each of the contributors has been closely involved in the work of the SMG through the Global Social ... Cities of the future – Seoul as a people-powered city

By Global Social Innovation Advisory Committee for Seoul City

June 30, 2020



Future trends for innovative cities

One of the reasons why I decided to run for Mayor was to pursue social innovation. Seoul has a population of 10 million, it’s a big metropolitan city and changing the lives of Seoul citizens is only possible not in front of a desk, but within the lives of the citizens. I am moving the Mayor’s ... Future trends for innovative cities

By SIX

May 14, 2019



Fostering a Canadian ecosystem for systems change – the SiG story

As SIX Global Council member Social Innovation Generation (SiG) draws to a close after ten years, the organisation have created this book to chart and track their learning journey from the past decade.  Social Innovation Generation (SiG) was a coming together of unusual allies — a private family foundation, an innovation hub, a non-profit social enterprise and a ... Fostering a Canadian ecosystem for systems change – the SiG story

By SiG

December 18, 2018



Movements Change Systems

Movements with a mission can change social norms, make markets and flips systems Lessons from Charlie Leadbeater  The things that really bring change in society are movements with missions. We have to understand when they bring real change; when they’re nor just a hashtag to framed up by a marketing company. Charlie Leadbeater  When do movements ... Movements Change Systems

September 26, 2018



An overview of social innovation in the Middle East and North Africa

Prepared by Kendra Schreiner and Jordan Junge, SIX May 2018 The field of social innovation has grown rapidly over the past 10 years, gaining traction across the world and in different sectors. The values of co-creation and collectively working toward impact resonates across sectors and countries, from public servants, politicians, academics, businesses, and nonprofits to ... An overview of social innovation in the Middle East and North Africa

By Kendra Schreiner & Jordan Junge, SIX

April 8, 2018





How EU employment policy is driving social innovation

The Social Innovation Community has produced its second ‘state of the union’ report, researching and mapping how EU employment policy is driving social innovation throughout Europe.  The European Commission has recognised a need to address fundamental challenges around work and employment across the European Union. The European Pillar of Social Rights (2017) highlights that the future of the ... How EU employment policy is driving social innovation

By SIX

February 7, 2018



Book chapter: Networks and capacity building in social innovation

Director of SIX, Louise Pulford recently contributed a chapter towards the Atlas of Social Innovation publication. The Atlas offers a comprehensive overview of the world of Social Innovation in a lucid way. It is featuring the manifold results of SI-DRIVE as well as the perspectives of leading experts. It gives insights into the various types of ... Book chapter: Networks and capacity building in social innovation

By Louise Pulford

February 5, 2018



Report: Five ways universities are organising themselves to increase societal impact

Introduction – What are universities for? For many, universities and higher educational institutions continue to be viewed as elitist and isolated institutions, with little connection to the society, communities and organisations around them. Indeed, universities are large, bureaucratic organisations, and many still operate in this stereotyped ‘traditional’ way. However, at a time when the challenges ... Report: Five ways universities are organising themselves to increase societal impact

By Julie Munk, So Jung Rim & Louise Pulford

September 12, 2017



Labs for Social Innovation

SIX worked with the ESADE Institute for Social Innovation to co-facilitate a Lab on Labs for Social Innovation in Barcelona in June 2017. This workshop was part of a project carried out by the Institute and was supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and BBVA, and aimed to provide meaningful insights into how to best address the complex societal ... Labs for Social Innovation

June 28, 2017



Humanity at work – MONDRAGON, a social innovation ecosystem case study

Original post here The Young Foundation has published a research report on the MONDRAGON Corporation, the largest industrial Co-operative in the world. The report explores it as a social innovation ecosystem, a highly successful and competitive way of transforming people’s lives for the better through shared ownership. MONDRAGON is a large global business owned by ... Humanity at work – MONDRAGON, a social innovation ecosystem case study

April 5, 2017





Supporting Social Change: A New Funding Ecology

Independent social funders are an established part of a mature ecosystem of social support in the UK. They represent a ‘sector’ that is diverse in makeup and practice, with some cutting edge thinking and innovative practice sitting alongside very traditional models of funding for activities in the community. It is also a sector whose leading lights ... Supporting Social Change: A New Funding Ecology

By Dr. Henry Kippin, Collaborate

July 10, 2015



Rethinking Smart Cities from the Ground Up

The original post about this report can be found on Nesta website here. This Nesta report tells the stories of cities around the world – from Beijing to Amsterdam, and from London to Jakarta – that are addressing urban challenges by using digital technologies to engage and enable citizens. Key findings Many ‘top down’ smart city ... Rethinking Smart Cities from the Ground Up

By Tom Saunders and Peter Baeck, Nesta

June 30, 2015



Building ecosystems for systems change

How do we collaborate to create ecosystems that support innovation for systems change? On September 5, 2014, Social Innovation Generation (SiG) and Oxfam hosted one of the final sessions of the inaugural Unusual Suspects Festival at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK office that explored: How do we collaborate to create an ecosystem that supports innovation for systems ... Building ecosystems for systems change

By Tim Draimin & Kelsey Spitz

January 22, 2015



Growing social innovation: A guide for policy makers

The international community increasingly recognises the need for new approaches to address our most pressing social challenges. In order to stimulate this innovation, this report suggests a number of approaches which policy makers can take, drawing on examples taken from around the world. The report draws on the work and findings of the TEPSIE project, a ... Growing social innovation: A guide for policy makers

By Victoria Boelman, Amy Kwan, John René Keller Lauritzen, Jeremy Millard, Rachel Schon

January 18, 2015



Lab Matters: Challenging the practice of social innovation laboratories

This article was originally posted on Kennisland website here. Just Lab It? Social innovation labs are ‘hallelujah-ed’ as the latest vehicles for transforming the way our cities, our schools, our welfare programs, and even our economic systems run. Yet we, lab practitioners, encounter a lack of critical literature and struggle to find learning spaces to ... Lab Matters: Challenging the practice of social innovation laboratories

By Marlieke Kieboom, Kennisland

May 27, 2014



The radical’s dilemma: an overview of the practice and prospects of Social and Public Labs.

This article was originally written by Geoff Mulgan on the Nesta website. In this paper, Geoff Mulgan looks at the various social and public labs across around the world. He summarises his personal view of the field of innovation labs – and what might lie ahead – largely based on Nesta experience. The report looks ... The radical’s dilemma: an overview of the practice and prospects of Social and Public Labs.

By Geoff Mulgan and SIX Global Council

February 12, 2014



Report: A reflection on Strengthening Social Innovation in Colombia

In 2013, The Young Foundation and the Social Innovation Exchange (SIX) were commissioned by the national Colombian Centre for Social Innovation of ANSPE (National Agency to Overcome Extreme Poverty) to design and run a series of events on Social Innovation with a range of stakeholders. This project was supported by Compartamos con Colombia and the Inter-American Development Bank. Through ... Report: A reflection on Strengthening Social Innovation in Colombia

By Louise Pulford, Tricia Hackett & Diana Daste

February 6, 2014



Design in public and social innovation: What works and what could work better

What’s going right and what’s going wrong? Is design a key to more efficient and effective public services, or a costly luxury, good for conferences and consultants but not for the public? This Nesta paper looks at the elements of the design method; the strengths of current models; some of their weaknesses and the common criticisms ... Design in public and social innovation: What works and what could work better

By Geoff Mulgan, Nesta

January 8, 2014



Social innovation research in the European Union: Approaches, findings and future directions

This report was originally posted on Wilco Project. In the course of the WILCO mid-term seminar, a pioneering initiative was launched to take stock of all the research done so far within the Framework Programmes with a view on preparing for Horizon 2020. The main result of this event is the “Social innovation research in the ... Social innovation research in the European Union: Approaches, findings and future directions

By WILCO

November 20, 2013



Good Business

In the latest issue of The Business Incubator, Allyson Hewitt introduces us to the concept of corporate social innovation. The article is a welcome demonstration that social innovation thinking is emerging into the mainstream. A young animator had figured out a new way to streamline the animation process. He approached the Information technology, Communications and ... Good Business

By Allyson Hewitt

April 16, 2013





Financing Social Impact: Funding Social Innovation in Europe

The field of innovation for social purposes is developing rapidly all over the world, with new institutions and methods, growing confi dence and evidence of impact. Social innovators are changing the way governments work, the way civil society achieves impact, and the actions of business.  Social innovations are new ideas, institutions, or ways of working ... Financing Social Impact: Funding Social Innovation in Europe

November 9, 2012



Labs: Designing the future

Participatory, user-centric approaches to solving problems are gaining momentum as alternatives to traditional organizations. Among these approaches is the innovation Lab, a creative, multi-disciplinary environment that employs a proven and repeatable protocol to seek disruptive, potentially systems-tipping solutions. Labs: Designing the Future, published in 2012, examines the Lab’s roots in complexity, networked collaboration and design ... Labs: Designing the future

By Lisa Torjman

June 18, 2012



Defining social innovation – A 2012 report by TEPSIE

This report was prepared by the Young Foundation, as part of the TEPSIE project.  These ten points summarise the reports findings: an understanding and analysis of social innovation, namely what it is, where and how it takes place as well as core features and common elements. 1. The field of social innovation is broad and varied. It ... Defining social innovation – A 2012 report by TEPSIE

By Julie Caulier-Grice, Anna Davies, Robert Patrick & Will Norman

May 31, 2012



Compendium for the civic economy

Against the context of rapid economic, social and environmental change, a collective reflection is taking place on how to build more sustainable routes to share prosperity. In the meantime, an increasing number and wide range of change-makers have already found ways to imagine and grow a different economy in our cities, towns, neighbourhoods and villages. ... Compendium for the civic economy

By Nesta, the Design Council and Architecture 00

January 11, 2012



First Study on Social Innovation for BEPA

SIX and the Young Foundation were commissioned by the Bureau of European Policy Advisors at the European Commission to a study of social innovation in Europe, and to suggest some priorities for action. The paper sets out the current position, policies, programmes and future options for promoting social innovation in Europe. Its primary focus is ... First Study on Social Innovation for BEPA

June 10, 2010



The open book of social innovation

The Open Book of Social Innovation looks at ways to design, develop and grow social innovation.

By Robin Murray, Julie Caulier-Grice, Geoff Mulgan

March 1, 2010