Innovation and Social Investment Programs in Europe

Abstract

There is a lack of empirical research around sub‐national Social Investment programs, and a lack of connectivity with social innovation. This paper addresses these gaps by drawing on twenty individual case study evaluations, conducted across ten EU member states as part of a larger Horizon 2020 project (Innovative Social Investment: Strengthening communities in Europe, grant agreement number: 649189). It does so through a “governance of activation” lens. We find that volunteering was a significant feature of many of the cases we researched, as both a means of funding Social Investment, and a means by which activation (through the development of human and social capital) might be achieved. Yet volunteering is a gap in the theoretical literature around Social Investment, and one that needs to be addressed. We also find that examining Social Investment at the local level provides a much more nuanced and complex picture than nationally focused extant research.

European Social Policy: Financial Pressure, Societal Differences, and Multi‐level Policy‐Making in Comparative Perspective

“…Bas andose en varias explicaciones te oricas, los autores identifican la relevancia del problema, las diferencias institucionales y la integraci on divergente del asesoramiento cient ıfico y judicial como determinantes centrales de esta paradoja. Continuando con el camino del estudio comparativo, O'Leary et al (2018) examinan diez pa ıses de la UE con respecto a su inversi on social a nivel subnacional y local. Por lo tanto, su art ıculo se conecta con la discusi on de estrategias de inversi on social (Kvist, 2015) y un estado de bienestar de inversi on social (Morel, Palier y Palme 2012) como un nuevo paradigma de bienestar.…”

“…Drawing on several theoretical explanations, the authors identify issue salience, institutional differences, and divergent integration of scientific and judiciary advice as central determinants of this paradox. Proceeding on the path of comparative study, O'Leary et al (2018) examine ten EU countries with regard to their social investment at sub-national and local levels. Their article thereby connects to the discussion of social investment strategies (Kvist, 2015) and a social investment welfare state (Morel, Palier & Palme, 2012) as a new welfare paradigm.…”

“…Proceeding on the path of comparative study, O'Leary et al. () examine ten EU countries with regard to their social investment at sub‐national and local levels. Their article thereby connects to the discussion of social investment strategies (Kvist, ) and a social investment welfare state (Morel, Palier & Palme, ) as a new welfare paradigm.…”

Yet another paradigm change? Narratives and competing policy paradigms in Brazilian labour market policies

“…These paradigms are thought to be closely related to two of the three policy paradigms proposed by scholars of social policy (Hemerijck, 2018;Morel, Palier, & Palme, 2012). Whilst the social investment paradigm has been gaining prominence in Europe since the 1990s (Nolan, 2013;O'Leary et al, 2018), this article argues that labour market policy in Brazil is characterised by the competition between a Keynesian-Beveridge and a neoliberal paradigm (see Table 3). The competing paradigms have evolved into an element of party competition: whilst the Workers' Party (PT) governments of Lula da Silva (2003-2011) and Dilma Rousseff (2011-2016 strengthened the role of the state in economic and social relations (Hall, 2009;Schneider, 2013), the government of interim President Michel Temer assigned a greater responsibility to the market (Section 3).…”

Interentity Cooperation in the Social Welfare Sector in Poland (2014–2020): Chances and Limitations

“…Aby wykorzystać tę szansę, potrzebne są wspólne działania władz samorządowych, instytucji publicznych, organizacji pozarządowych, a także szeroko rozumianego biznesu. Najlepiej jeżeli współpraca obejmuje wszystkie sektory i realizowana jest w formie partnerstwa, bowiem to ono otwiera nowe możliwości dla każdego z sektorów (O'Leary et al, 2018). Wzajemne relacje pomiędzy organizacjami, oparte na zaufaniu, mające na celu osiągniecie wspólnych celów.…”