Presentation given by Marie Nordfeldt from Ersta Sköndal University College and the European WILCO consortium at the FEANTSA/HABITACT seminar "Tackling homelessness as a social investment for the future: Looking at the bigger picture", 12th June 2013, Amsterdam

1. Social innovations for Social
Cohesion
Preliminary findings from the
WILCO project
Marie Nordfeldt, Ersta Sköndal University
College, Sweden
www.wilcoproject.eu

2. Background
International comparative project, 14
partners, 3 years (2010-2013)
Funded by the 7th European Framework
Programme (2.4 million Euro grant)
Coordinated by Radboud University
Nijmegen (Taco Brandsen)
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3. Radboud University Nijmegen
(Coordinating Institution )
Westfälische Wilhelms-
Universität Münster
Politecnico di Milan o
Université de Genèv e
University of Barcelo n a
University of Zagreb
Centre de Recherche et
d’Information sur la Démocratie
et l’Autonom i e
University of Warsaw
University of Ken t
Ersta Sköndal University
College
Justus-Liebig Universi t y
EMES European Research
Network
European Research Services
GmbH (ERS )
The Network of Institutes and
Schools of Public
Administration in Central and
Eastern Europe (NISPACEE)

4. Key issues
Strong social exclusion
Problems perpetuated across generations
and geographical areas
Despite years of public programs
these wicked problems remain
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5. Objectives and overall design
To chart patterns of social inequality and exclusion in European cities.
To identify (socially) innovative practices in European cities.
(a) finding models, features and trends in local social innovation that
appear across Europe
(b) looking at local contexts and welfare systems: key factors for
diffusion and upgrading of innovations?
Ten EU-countries, 20 cities – one large and one mid-sized city
Focus on:
– three groups (single mothers, young people at risk, migrants)
– three policy fields (housing & neightbourhood revitalization; child
care & education; occupational & social integration)
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6. Social innovations
Broad definition:
Social innovation refers to new services,
products, processes and approaches that
more effectively meet urgent needs and
create new types of collaboration among
(esp. local) governments, business, non-
profit organizations and citizens
New in the local context where they appear
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7. Types and balance of local innovations
A pool of about 80 innovations
Service innovations are dominating.
Most innovative services/approaches to be found within
the third sector; yet local welfare policies and
administrations can be part in various ways (by
programs, funding, initiative)
Many small scale and time-limited projects, (EU-
funded), sometimes implemented by integration in
established organisations/programmes or achieve self-
sufficiency.
Occasionally commercial viable
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8. Prel. results: Diffusion
– opportunities and challenges
Diffusion - sometimes hard to trace
Social innovations - often local in focus
Innovators sometimes interested in spreading
their approach/idea, but not always an
interest in, or time to, “sell” an innovation
to other places.
A crucial role for intermediaries
Diffusion appear to be easiest for less
complex innovations that require limited
resources
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9. „Translation‟ of innovations necessary when they
travel
Failure can be connected to lack of capacity,
initial financial resources and consensus. Time
limited projects.
Requires change in how people/organisations
work together; therefore resistance is not unusual
Research on diffusion tends to focus on the
adoption of innovations; yet changes in local
relations / discourses that precede adoption are
at least as important
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10. Concluding remarks
Difficult scaling up social innovations
Context dependent, based on social
relations and collaboration of
different actors
Often hybrids formed of different
ideas or inspirations
To avoid inventing the wheel over and
over – support structures based on the
specific features of social innovations
Housing first – a successful exception?
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11. Thank you!
More information; national, city
and comparative raports on
www.wilcoproject.eu
www.facebook.com/wilcoproject
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