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Research Article

Social innovation projects link to sustainable development goals: case of Portugal

, , , &
Pages 725-737 | Received 11 Feb 2022, Accepted 24 May 2022, Published online: 14 Jun 2022
 

ABSTRACT

Recent literature on social innovation highlights its conceptual ambiguity and fragmentation. According to this context, this paper explores how social innovation can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Using a case study approach, we apply a mixed research methodology comprising a content analysis followed by multiple correspondence analysis. We examine 209 social innovation projects financed by the Portugal Social Innovation program in three dimensions: empowerment, content, and process. The social innovation projects addressed showed that social innovation projects can have varied objectives, be developed in different intervention areas, and empower different vulnerable groups of beneficiaries. The findings put in evidence the interaction between social innovation and SDGs, therefore social innovation supports the three sustainability dimensions: economy, society, and environment. In this sense, it is possible to conclude that SDGs constitute a framework that positions social innovation, bringing clarity and structure to the field. This identification and classification can promote the creation of a market of supply and demand of social innovations, strengthening the social innovation ecosystem.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

Conceptualization: JC, CF, MA, MLN, PF; Data curation: CF; Formal Analysis: CF; Funding acquisition: JC; Investigation: CF; Methodology: JC, CF, MA, MLN, PF; Supervision: JC, MA, MLN, PF; Validation: JC, CF, MA, MLN, PF; Writing – original draft: CF; Writing – review & editing: JC, CF, MA, MLN, PF.

Notes

Additional information

Funding

This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: PTDC/EGE-OGE/31635/2017.

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