This paper provides an overview of a doctorate study that is exploring relationships between social innovation, local and regional development, and public policy and programmes. The study design reflects the ‘social plasticity’ orientation core to social innovation theory and practice. This is demonstrated, in part, through the exploration of a ‘language politics’ that seeks to position enabling social innovation as a key strategy for generating more sustainable forms of local and regional development. Drawing on the work of key theorists, a typology is being developed to characterise social innovation activity across three aspects - social relations dynamics, diverse economic agents and processes, and social market dimensions. In this paper, the typology is outlined and demonstrated through application to case examples that are being developed as part of the study. Generative workshops with ‘users’ have been held - exploring responses to the typology and social innovation concepts more generally - and a discussion on emergent themes is provided. [Author’s abstract].
McNeill, Joanne (2013) Enabling social innovation - opportunities for sustainable local and regional development (Paper presented at the international conference Social Frontiers : The next edge of social innovation research, at GCU's london Campus on 14th and 15th November 2013).
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