Parallel Session 1.5
Measuring Social Innovation
CV chair
Short CV Karel Müller
Charles University Prague, Czechia
CV chair
Short CV Mariana Christen Jakob
Professor at the University of Applied Sciences of Lucerne, studied Social Sciences at University of Zurich, MBA at the University of St. Gallen Topics: Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Innovation, Social Entrepre-neurship, Social Impact Measurement
CEO of the Social Entrepreneurship Foundation
Abstract
Author: Werner Wobbe
Institute European Commission, DG Research and Innovation, Brussels, Belgium
Title of
paper Monitoring and measuring of innovation in the EU
Abstract "Europe 2020" is a strategy paper of the current European Commission. It includes the "Innovation Union", one of the major policy flagship initiatives for the years to come for which the Commissioner of Research and Innova-tion is the chair. The document declares that innovaInnova-tion is understood much broader than as technological innovation as it was inexplicitly taken in for-mer policy actions. Therefore, social innovation forms part of the Flagship Initiative and the document foresees a monitoring of innovation in order to control the progress made by innovation.
This approach on measuring innovation and in particular social innovation is quite challenging in methodological and practical terms. Questions emerg-ing would be:
In how far is monitoring and measuring of innovation feasible and how can developments be monitored at international level in a comparative manner?
Which approaches do exist, how comprehensive are they and how to
improve current approaches?
Are indicators the right approach and how complex or multidimensional
should they get or should a single indicator be the way forward? How different may a monitoring of social innovation be in contrast to
economic monitoring?
Are the mission and goals of monitoring social innovations evident? The paper shall highlight two current and proven indicator-based ap-proaches in view of socio-economic monitoring. These are the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) and the Community Innovation Survey (CIS). From the discussion of these both approaches conclusions will be drawn for the monitoring of social innovation.
Short CV Werner Wobbe
Dr, is employed at the European Commission in Brussels and works for the Directorate General Research and Innovation. He is a reporter for the Eco-nomic High Level Expert Group "Innovation for Growth" that gives advice to the Commission on its research and innovation policy. He has served in that function for several expert groups as for that of "knowledge economist", "benchmarking and intergovernmental co-operation" or "service research". He was in charge of DG RTD's foresight unit analysing the landscape of re-search capabilities of major science and technology nations in the world. Wobbe studied at the Technical University of Hannover and was awarded with a doctoral degree from the University of Göttingen. He worked at the Sociological Research Institute in Göttingen (SOFI) on impacts of new tech-nology for labour and management.
Abstract
Author/s Albrecht Wirthmann
Institute/s European Commission – Eurostat
Title of
paper The European survey on the use of information and communication technologies in households and by individuals
Abstract The Statistical Office of the European Commission, Eurostat, conducts an annual survey on the use of Information and Communication Technologies in households and by individuals within the European Union and other Euro-pean countries.
The survey is based on a Regulation of the European Union which defines the indicators, variables, coverage, reference period and background char-acteristic of the variables. The main purpose of the data collection at European level is to monitor the policy initiatives of the European Union in the field of information society policy. The major policy initiative is the "Digital Agenda for Europe" (COM(2010) 245 final), which is one of the seven flagship initiatives of the Europe 2010 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The Digital Agenda outlines policies and actions aimed at maximising the benefit of the digital era to all sections of society and economy.
According to the aims of the policy initiative, the survey specifically col-lects information on the access to and the use the Internet. A focus is put on gathering statistical information on Internet activities such as communi-cation, information search and online services, training and educommuni-cation, e-commerce. Socio-demographic background characteristics are collected to analyse issues related to digital exclusion and the digital divide within Europe and the European societies.
In addition to annually collected indicators, the survey includes episodic modules on specific aspects of the information society. In 2009, the topic of the special module was electronic commerce followed by internet secu-rity and trust in 2010.
The paper will present the results of the annual surveys on the use of ICT in the European Union. The paper will specifically concentrate on the devel-opment of above mentioned Internet activities and present findings of the
e-commerce and Internet security modules. Socio-demographic background information are used to elaborate communalities and differences according to gender, age, educational attainment, employment situation and house-hold characteristics.
The European survey on ICT use is conducted in 30 European countries and covers a sample of ca. 150 000 households and 240 000 individuals. Data are collected by the national statistical offices of the European Union, EFTA countries and candidate countries to the EU during the second quarter of the year with a reference period of the first quarter. After transmission of the data to Eurostat, the results are published in December f the reference year.
Short CV Albrecht Wirthmann
holds a degree in Geography. He started is professional career in the field of Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing in a private enter-prise in Frankfurt/Main. In 1992, he joined the federal statistical office of Germany in the newly created unit on economic and environmental ac-counting, where he was responsible for geographic information related to environmental accounting. In 1999, he joined Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union in the area of regional statistics and geographic in-formation systems. Since 2007, he is the head of section for inin-formation society statistics. This comprises the coordination and provision of official statistics on the information society for the member states of the European Union and the European Economic Area. In the respective unit, annual sur-veys on the use of information and communication technologies in enter-prises and in households. Additionally, statistics n telecommunication ser-vices and the ICT sector is collected and disseminated annually. The infor-mation society statistics are collected mainly for monitoring the policy strategies at European level, such as the Digital Agenda for Europe.
Abstract
Author/s Catherine Candea
Institute/s Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), paris, France
Title of
pa-per Your Better Life Index: measuring the well-being of societies
Abstract Is life really getting better? How can we tell? What are the key ingredients to improving life – is it better education, environment, healthcare, hous-ing, or working hours? Does progress mean the same thing to all people or in all countries and societies? A pioneer in this emerging field of research, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has been working for almost ten years to identify the best way to measure the progress of societies – moving beyond GDP and examining the areas that impact everyday people's lives.
The OECD has created Your Better Life Index – an interactive tool that allows individuals to compare well-being across countries. The Index is based on the 11 dimensions which, drawing upon the recommendations of the Stiglitz Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, the Organisation has identified as essential to the quality of life. The digital platform allows individuals to put different weights on each of the topics, and thus decide for themselves what contributes most to well-being. The resulting visualisation provides a unique view of how countries perform according to the priorities individuals themselves set. Your Better Life Index currently profiles the 34 OECD member countries
and will eventually include the OECD's six partner countries (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, and South Africa), representing the world's major economies. The website contains an overall description of the quality of life in each country, followed by its performance across the 25 individual indicators that make up the 11 topics of well-being. Recent OECD reports and other sources of information are also freely-accessible to assist those who want to learn even more about social and economic policies in their country.
The Index illustrates how different countries prioritise different policies, and allows individuals to compare their vision of a better life with the ac-tual progress in their home country, leading to a better-informed and more engaged citizenry. It is a pioneering, interactive tool combining OECD substance with modern technology in order to educate, promote dialogue and encourage consensus on the balance between societal and economic well-being.
Short CV Catherine Candea
is Deputy Head of Publishing in the Public Affairs and Communications department of the OECD. In this capacity, she oversees the publishing pro-gramme of the Organisation, which includes a wide range of analytical and statistical outputs, both on line and in print.
Before joining the OECD in 2000, Ms. Candea worked for 10 years with Edi-tions Bordas, one of the major French educational publishers, as managing editor of the Foreign Language Textbook department. She spent the ear-lier part of her career as a teacher in secondary education and adult train-ing. Combining her publishing and educational experiences, she was an associate lecturer in the Information and Communication Department of the Institut Universitaire de Technologie, Université Paris V.
Abstract
Author/s Andrea Bassi
Institute/s Department of Sociology - University of Bologna - Italy
Title of
pa-per How to measure the intangibles. The Social Added Value of Nonprofit Organizations
Abstract The paper presents the results of a research project which principal aim has been to elaborate and test a measurement tool for non-profit organi-zations(NPOs) called SAVE (Social Added Value Evaluation).
I choose as unit of analysis NPOs operating in the welfare area (social and health services). The basic idea is to select a sample of 12 NPOs (six or-ganizations of volunteers and six social cooperatives) dealing with ser-vices for disabled people, elderly, physical impaired, mental illness, youth, families with problems, etc., and to carry out an in depth socio-logical analysis, using the case study model of social and organizational inquiry.
I start from a theoretical approach that affirms that NPOs are special or-ganizations because they have a triple bottom line: an economic one, a social one (volunteers, workers, users, clients, etc.) and an environ-mental one (local community), reflecting their various stakeholders. Given that “measurement is any process by which a value is assigned to the level or state of some quality of an object of study” (Bulmer, 2001), and given that the non-profit sector is “the space between market and government characterized by the voluntary and private provision of public goods” (Barman, 2007), the question is “how to define value”?
Barman (2007), in a very remarkable article, explains: “measurement largely occurs in historical periods where the non-profit sector holds sub-stantive responsibility for the provision of social services” (p. 112) and “the use of measurement is never neutral or objective. Instead measure-ment emerges in momeasure-ments of uncertainty and change” (p. 112).
The SAVE measurement framework follows the “Value Chain” model (Wei-Skillern, Austin, Leonard, Stevenson, 2007) in order to discern the distinc-tive value or goal that the organization intends to produce, and the re-sults of its activities (what it actually does produce). The logic model (Ivi, p. 324-332) underlining the value chain framework differentiates among outputs, outcomes and impacts emerging from the NPO’s activities. A similar model is analysed in a very comprehensive article concerning the evaluation of organizational performance and social impact of third sector organizations by Rey Garcia (2008), defined as the Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology. SAVE also compares with other method-ologies, such as the Balanced Score Card (BSC) and Benchmarking. The SAVE measurement framework is based on four internal organiza-tional dimensions: Economic and financial management (A), Political and strategic planning (Governance - G); Activities and processes (I); and Cul-ture and values commitment (L).
Due to the “experimental nature” of the research project (the aims has been to test and validate the SAVE model of organization analysis) the methodology has been based mainly on qualitative tools, such as: face to face interviews (open questions), focus groups, direct observation of ser-vice delivery, and written documents analysis (balance sheets, social re-ports, clients/users declarations, CDs, DVDs, etc.).
The change in the financing system, moving from a supply-side model to a demand-side one (vouchers), adopted by many public policies in the Euro-pean Union countries, opens the markets of social, health and education services to new producers.
This constitutes a challenge for non-profit organizations, facing the ne-cessity to demonstrate their capacity to respond to the users/clients (stakeholders) needs and at the same time their aptitude to represent them.
Our hypothesis is that NPOs are characterized by two main features: the capacity to produce relational goods and their ability in generating social capital in the community.
The paper is a first step towards the elaboration of a measurement tool for non-profit organizations called SAV (Social Added Value) evaluation system.
Short CV Andrea Bassi
I received a PhD in Sociology and Social Policy in 1995 at the Department of Sociology - University of Bologna, with a Thesis on: “Forms of solidarity in complex societies. A study on culture and values of voluntary sector”. Arguments: Voluntary Organizations, Nonprofit Organizations, Third Sec-tor, Organizational culture.
Since 2006 I am full time Researcher at the University of Bologna – Fac-ulty of Economics – Forlì Campus, where I teach “Sociology”, “Sociology of Economy” and “Sociology of Nonprofit Organizations”.
I am the Director of the European Summer School on Social Economy – University of Bologna – Faculty of Economics – Forlì Campus
www.esse.unibo.it
I am a member of the National Observatory on Associations by the Minis-try of Welfare – Italian Government (from 2001);
I am a member of the Editorial Board of the Review “International Lead-ership Journal” published by theSchool of Business and Management at Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, New York State, USA.
Abstract
Author/s Mariana Christen Jakob Alexandra Grant
Institute/s University of Applied Sciences, Lucerne Switzerland Social Entrepreneurship Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland
Title of paper Social return on investment in comparison with other tools for the measurement of social innovation and social impact
Abstract
about 500 words
The economic benefit and long-term value creation for an economy is one dimension of social innovation. Total value can not be reduced to a purely financial method of measurement. Therefore it is important for both social entrepreneurs and Not-for-Profit organizations to demon-strate (and quantify) their added social impact and/or environmental value.
Currently, different matrixes and methods exist to measure social inno-vation and social impact. One of these concepts is the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework for measuring and accounting for a broader concept of value. It measures change in ways that are relevant to the people or organizations that experience or contribute to it. Calculations throughout the evaluation conclude the social value in relation to the initial financial investment. Financial value has become a common unit and as such is a useful and widely accepted notion of measuring value. However, SROI should be about total value creation and not only meas-ured from a financial perspective.
In phase one of this three phase analysis, we will focus on comparing the SROI methodology and the process of validation with other methods, frameworks and standards. We want to highlight the different and over-lapping elements regarding scope, specific metrics and overall focus. Frameworks in scope for comparison include the Social Accounting and Audit (SAA) framework, which was developed for organizations to use for impact reporting, the Ashoka Foundation’s evaluation for social entre-preneurship and the Acumen Foundation’s investment evaluation criteria for social entrepreneurship. All frameworks seek to measure the impact of social innovation in differing ways.
Next, in phase two we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods mentioned above and determine the best ap-proaches for the evaluation social entrepreneurs (start-up phase), Not-for-Profit and public service organizations.
Phase three will include the application of our analysis to three case studies, evaluating which SROI model would work best in for measuring social innovation in the field.
As social entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations and public service pro-grams continue to expand in combination with uncertain economic condi-tions, there is an urgent need for project evaluation that goes beyond the financial metric. By analyzing existing frameworks, we hope to high-light viable options for the assessment of value creation across models beyond the Euro, and apply lessons learned to evaluate case studies in the field.
Short CV
max. 15 lines Mariana Christen Jakob Professor at the University of Applied Sciences of Lucerne, studied Social Sciences at University of Zurich, MBA at the University of St. Gallen Topics: Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Innovation, Social Entre-preneurship, Social Impact Measurement
Alexandra Grant
Management Consulting, Work Experience Clinton Health Access Initia-tive, consultant Social Entrepreneurship Foundation SEF Swiss
