Book review: Local social innovation to combat poverty and exclusion. A critical appraisal
| Author | Juliette Alenda-Demoutiez |
| DOI | 10.1177/1388262720965586 |
| Date | 01 December 2020 |
| Published date | 01 December 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
Book review
Book review
Oosterlynck S., Novy A. & Kazepov Y. (eds.), Local social innovation to combat poverty and exclusion.
A critical appraisal, Bristol, UK: Policy Press, 264 pages, ISBN 978-1-4473-3844-4.
Reviewed by: Juliette Alenda-Demoutiez, Radboud Universiteit, the Netherlands
DOI: 10.1177/1388262720965586
Is social innovation (SI) the path to re-legitimating democracies and welfare models? This question
is at the heart of Local social innovation to combat poverty and exclusion. This book offers many
important insights on the evolving governance of socially innovative initiatives in the fight against
poverty. It relies on a rich methodology, with 31 intensive case studies in Europe (and Brazil)
around three fields of action: labour markets, education, and housing. The socio-economic team of
contributors reflects the different trajectories existing in Europe, as the important pluralism trends
needed in order to produce relevant knowledge about the concrete reality of economic practices.
In the history of social economy, SI initiatives are not a recent development. However, the
growing interest of the European Union, combined with the 2008 crisis, have shaped their evolu-
tion. The authors observe a shift from original views of emancipation and societal change to an
entrepreneurial frame, leading to new market opportunities (chapter 2). One consequence is the
instrumental use of SI initiatives as a vehicle for welfare states to experiment, and for social
investors to achieve efficiently social goals. The message of the book is that SI could contribute
to a societal change and a reorganisation of governance leading to societies that are more inclusive.
The contributions are numerous for policymaking and academic research.
Going beyond established definitions and methodologies
The authors stress the importance of understanding SI as involving processes and relations, based
on socially constructed and interrelated needs (chapter 1). SI is not just a matter of achieving
certain goals with innovative methods. It is above all a matter of implementing new social and
institutional arrangements. SI is thus defined here arou nd three dimensions: content, as these
initiatives aim to satisfy basic social needs; process, as social and power relations are transformed;
and empowerment, linking process and content, implying the access of individuals to different
capabilities. In this sense, SI is a specific paradigm, different from the social protection paradigm,
pillar of the welfare systems, and social investment, focused on labour productivity, technological
innovation and competitiveness, from a cost-efficient perspective (chapter 3). This SI paradigm is
studied in the light of the fight against poverty. Instead of considering the strict monetary vision of
poverty, the authors insist on a multidimensional and relational definition of poverty, as a process
European Journal of Social Security
2020, Vol. 22(4) 502–504
ªThe Author(s) 2020
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