The RIPESS Europe Advisory Board wrote a document entitled “Social Innovation in Europe: what relationship with the solidarity economy?” to bring members of RIPESS Europe to discuss between them around the theme of social innovation, a theme on today’s European agenda, and the SSE and what are the forms of social innovation which have emerged in the lat years. To clarify the various uses of this concept, the authors proceed in four phases.  There have been various responses and to continue the debate we publish this first version, presented during the EFSSE at Brussels, February 28, 2016.

As a first step, the authors emphasized the importance to situate social innovation at the heart of a debate, dating back over two centuries, between two conceptions of solidarity. The assumption here is that social innovation is a reformulation and updating of this debate, which will encourage to think in a long-term perspective. Secondly, they return quickly to the origin of the term social innovation and on the historical context of its emergence. In a third part, they confront two contrasting models of support for social innovation, which explain a number of contemporary ambiguities.

Finally, proper policy challenges are discussed and examples of social innovation in the version of strong solidarity brought by the members.

You can download the text of the document here (pdf).

To participate in the debate on Social Innovation, join the forum discussion here.

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