Adalbert Evers and Benjamin EwertSocial Frontiers Conference, London, November 14

Social innovations for social cohesion. What welfare politics can

learn from them.Findings from a transnational study

The two points our contribution deals with

What are recurrent patterns of approaches and instruments in social innovations, that public welfare policies could learn from?

Minding the gap between welfare reform discourses and the social innovation talk

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Background: the WILCO research project

the project has looked at contributions by social innovations to local welfare systems coping with challenges of social cohesion

The project has been given a double task(a) finding across Europe models and trends of local social innovations in support of social cohesion(b) looking at the difference, local contexts and welfare systems make for upgrading and impact of such innovations

Empirical basis: About 75 cases of social innovations in 10 countries and 20 cities

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Concepts and methods

Defining social innovationsAs approaches and projects that are seen as “promising” by experts and relevant stakeholders in the field

An international project Not for comparing national “regimes” but for creating a wider basis of evidence for studying transnational trends

Compared to what? The difference innovations make against historical givens: industrial and managerial welfare and service patterns

Looking at recurrent approaches and instruments“Read” the common traits and messages of the many case studies

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Point 1

Recurrent patterns of approaches and instruments in social innovations, that public welfare policies could learn from(more specifically: policy makers in local welfare systems)

With respect to:social servicesregulations and rightsways of governancemodes of working and financingthe entity of (local) welfare systems

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Service innovations

Investing in capabilitiesStrengthening people’s competences and self-esteem rather than spotting deficits

Open approaches Avoiding targeting with stigmatizing effects through less directive forms of addressing people

Bridging gapsReconciling professional services and people‘s life worlds

Bundles of personalized support Connecting service offers in order to meet users’ complex

needs

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Innovations in regulations and rights

ad hoc support Offering time-limited loans, individually tailored combinations of services and benefits to curb new social risks

“social contracts” Relating access to welfare support to people’s commitment - to work for themselves and the community

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Innovations in governance

NetworkingFostering units and types of organization that operate in more embedded ways

Giving groups a voiceInvolving new risks to be faced, new groups and their concerns in the public domain

Issue related coalitions Building partnerships among plural stakeholders that work on ‘hot’ items

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Innovations in modes of working and financing

Flexicurity Working in projects − less institutionalized and below traditional standards of social security but in more self-determined ways

Mixed and extended working collectives Establishing forms of multi-professional teamwork that include volunteers and the civic commitment of supporters

New professionalismCombining formerly fragmented knowledge through dialogue with and involvement of users

Creative fundingMixing resources from stakeholders across sectors

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Innovations concerning the entity of (local) welfare systems

Welfare mixesReaching out to all sectors of local welfare systems

DiversityAiming at less standardized, more diverse and localized welfare arrangements

Rebalancing welfare systemsUpgrading the community component in mixed welfare systems

IntegrationBridging economic and social logics as well as welfare and urban politics

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Point 2

Mind the gap - reform discourses and the social innovation talk

social innovations may be supported just as applications and complements

…but may be seen as well as blueprints whose approaches may be worth mainstreaming

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Mind the gap!

Learning about the history of welfare as a history of mainstreaming social innovations

From cooperatives and mutuals to social security and services – over and again social innovations have prepared state based welfare

Rethinking the balance between equality and diversity

Time to think about the ambivalence of standardized and hierarchical systems – innovations need to respect rooms for diversity

From policies that impose reforms to programs and pilot schemes that prepare them

Prepare reform not only by debate but as well by trying out new devices by programs that put innovative ideas to test in practice

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Thanks for your attention!

08/04/2023 13Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tripletsisters/6932000465/