Social Innovation and Territorial Development

Over the past twenty years, regional development and urban regeneration strategies have traditionally centred on the economic: economic strategies to make regions and cities more market-feasible and competitive; physical renewal strategies to strengthen the economic basis of territories; and institutional transformations. However, the economy may be regarded in a more societal way, as a set of social practices, ranging from the everyday of family and community life to norms of consumption and social regulation of work habits and professional practice.The concept of social innovation offers an alternative perspective on development and regional transformation which puts forward innovation in social relations. Multi-disciplinary and global in approach, this volume presents a comprehensive and insightful exploration of social innovation and how it affects life, society and economy, especially, but not exclusively, at the local and regional level. It addresses key questions about the nature of social innovation as a process and a strategy and what opportunities may exist, and may be generated, for social innovation to nourish human development. It puts forward alternative options which highlight issues of solidarity, co-operation and economic, human and cultural diversity, situated outside and in combination with the market, within or outside cultural-artistic arenas, and at various spatial scales of social empowerment. In doing so, this book offers a provocative response to the predominant neoliberal economic vision of spatial, economic and social change.