Social Innovation: where are we and where

could we be?

Seoul, October 2008

Geoff Mulgan

Social Innovation: where are we and where

could we be?

Seoul, October 2008

Geoff Mulgan

Some background

The state of the field worldwide

Where next?

Michael Young – a pioneer in addressing social problems

• shaped UK welfare state• writer • creator of over 60 organisations• pioneer of a plethora of other

innovations – patient led health, consumerism, neighbourhood governance, age discrimination many with global impact

10

9

The Young Foundation today

• Research – on daily life, mapping value, unmet needs• Action research – with cities, governments (50+

places)• Creating new enterprises – education, health, law,

refugees - initiatives ranging from new schools to new online schools (the School of Everything), youth leadership (Uprising) to Islam(Maslaha) to new models of healthcare (ACL, Planmycare)

• Working with cities, governments and businesses on creative problem solving

• A hub for over 25 organisations

Our work on social innovation made us interested in the global picture

Millions of people are involved in the rich diversity of social innovation – the creative design of new ways of living better

Our work on social innovation made us interested in the global picture

Millions of people are involved in the rich diversity of social innovation – the creative design of new ways of living better

But we concluded that our societies do social innovation far less well than innovation in technology and business .... with few dedicated institutions, resources, or supports

Interest is beginning to grow fast in more systematic ways to design, shape and spread social innovations, but from a low base ...

• Governments wanting more effective solutions to social inclusion, healthcare, service delivery, education

• Business wanting to adapt to economy where biggest sectors are now health, care, learning

• Civil society wanting to get better at identifying needs, delivering services, solving problems rather than alleviating

• Foundations wanting to deal with root causes not only symptoms

• Radical politics wanting experimental methods rather than top-down blueprints

• ‘We think’ – collaborative innovation models spreading with principle that all of us are smarter than any of us

Widespread recognition that the big issues not soluble with business as usual – ageing, climate change, global inequality

So what’s the state of the field?

The beginnings of a research field studying the patterns ....The beginnings of a research field studying the patterns ....

Innovation Networks for Communities (US)CCCPE (China)Mindlab (Denmark)Heategu (Estonia)Lien Foundation (Singapore)SITRA and STAKES (Finland)MIK/Mondragon (Spain)Fuping Development Institute (China)Mandag Morgan (Denmark)Center for Social Innovation (Canada)Doors of Perception (Int.)Sciences-Po (France)Kellogg Foundation (US)

TESE (Portugal)New Schools Venture Fund (US)Hope Institute (S.Korea)MaRS (Canada)SEKN (L. America)Shuttleworth Foundation (S. Africa)Australian Centre for Social InnovationSustainable Everyday Project (Italy)New Profit Inc (US)Young Foundation (UK)Innovation Unit (UK)NESTA (UK)Kennisland (Netherlands)

Social Innovation Generator (Canada)

Ashoka (US)TED (US)Tallberg Forum (Sweden)REDF (US)OECDCivicus (Int.)BEPA/European CommissionWorld Health OrganisationDIUS (UK)Minister of Strategic Affairs (Brazil)President of Iceland

A growing network of organisations involved in practice ....

……

Shared values

• Start from observation and engagement – not ideology

• Experiment small not big• Learn by doing- move fast from

ideas to action• Work across sectoral boundaries• Scan – and learn -globally• Act ‘with’ others, not doing things

‘to’, ‘for’, ‘at’ people

‘Its amazing what you can achieve if you don’t care who gets the credit’ Harry Truman

Methods

SI as cutting across sectors, dynamic on interfaces

Methods

• Project underway to map the many methods in use in each sector, and cutting across

• 250 on first survey• Aim to synthesise the best

methods from design, policy, business, community organising and provide easy access to case studies, tools and lessons

Where next?

• Public funding – early stage, local innovations, growth, individuals, top slicing - SBIR

• Foundation funding and social venture funds - Launchpad, HopeLab, Pioneer Porfolio, SIG

• Commercial investment and venturing• Social stock markets - Rockefeller• Bank funding – Banca Prossima, Charity Bank• Markets for solutions -Innocentive• Open competitions and prizes – Big Green

Challenge• Finance for individual social entrepreneurs -

UnLtd

1. New forms of finance

2. New methods of growth2. New methods of growth

Routes to growth and impact

3. A growing field of incubators and intermediaries – parallel to roles in science, medicine &c – linking supply of ideas to potential uses

4. Becoming part of the broader conversation on policy and social change

• cities promoting social innovation •EU commitment to social innovation • WHO on social innovation and health • Obama commitments• National innovation strategies (eg Australia)

An exciting time – economic crises often accelerate social imagination

Every new truthFirst, ignoredThen violently opposedFinally treated as self-evident Schopenhauer

‘The future’s already here – it’s just unevenly distributed’

William Gibson