Social entrepreneurship ecosystem and user led social innovation in Icelandic welfare services

• In Event: Accountability and Evidence Based Practice: Critical Perspectives

Abstract

This paper explores the social innovation ecosystem in Iceland and the contribution of user led social innovation in developing welfare services and polices. Mulgan (2006) underlines user importance in his definition of the social innovation process by stating that successful social innovation often builds on the presumption “that people are competent interpreters of their own lives and competent solvers of their own problems”.  The social innovation ecosystem is an interpretive theoretical approach to describe the supportive environment of social innovation, its interdisciplinary nature and interaction with public policies (Howaldt, Kaletka & Schröder, 2016). A country fiche on the ecosystem of social enterprises (SE) in Iceland explores key concepts, background, legal frameworks, support, and education for social entrepreneurship. There it is concluded that while social entrepreneurship is a relatively unknown concept in Iceland there is a long tradition for social innovation within the third sector defining social enterprises as third sector entities (NGOs and NPOs) or cooperatives, associations and self-governing organizations that mainly aim to solve a social challenge in the welfare services through inclusion of disadvantaged groups. In stakeholder interviews it was suggested that ideas on user involvement and empowerment could positively influence social innovation policies and ecosystem in the future (Kristmundsson & Hrafnsdóttir, 2019). 
Building on existing research the paper will present results of a critical phenomenological study (Margi & McQueen, 2023) using qualitative approaches of discourse analysis, focus group and interviews.  Results from focus group of stakeholders and discourse analysis will be used to present the social innovation ecosystem and its relevance to welfare policies. This analysis will build on Hulgård and Ferreira (2019) model of four discourses linking public policy to social innovation related to: volunteerism, social movement, new public management, and new public governance, providing results that demonstrate current and future scenarios in the development of public welfare and social innovation policies and how they can affect the development of the third sector in Iceland (Defourny, Hulgård & Pestoff, 2014). User perspectives will then be integrated into the analysis based upon the results from at least 20 interviews with representatives of user led social initiatives analyzing social entrepreneurs’ perceptions of the ecosystem, their supportive networks and interaction with professionals, politics and stakeholders within the welfare sector as well as their insights on users involvement in developing social innovation related to welfare services and policies. The social initiatives examined evolve around social challenges like gender equality, migration, mental health, addiction, poverty, disability, inclusion and parenting.
Wider relevance and transferability of the study results include insights and research opportunities related to user involvement in social innovation and welfare focusing as well on third sector as the dominant sector for user led social innovation.

References

Defourny, J., Hulgård, L. & Pestoff, V. (2014). Social Enterprise and the Third Sector: Changing European Landscapes in a Comparative Perspective. New York. Rutledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203487747.

Howaldt, J., Kaletka, C. & Schröder, A. (2016). Social entrepreneurs; Important Actors within an Ecosystem of Social innovation. European public Social & Social Innovation Review, 1(2), 95-110. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242613497494

Hulgård, L & Ferreira, S. (2019). Social innovation and Public Policies. Atlas of social innovation. https://www.oekom.de/buch/atlas-of-social-innovation-9783962381578

Kristmundsson, Ó.H. & Hrafnsdóttir, S. (2019). Social Enterprises and their ecosystem in Europe: Country Fiche Iceland. Publications Office of the European Union. https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=20956&langId=en

Margi, E. & McQueen, P. (2023). Critical Phenomenology. Polity Press.

Mulgan, G. (2006). The process of social innovation. MIT press. https://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article/1/2/145/9448/The-Process-of-Social-Innovation

Authors

• Stefania Guðrun Kristinsdottir, Einurd ltd.

• Steinunn Hrafnsdottir