Innovations and social problem solving: a comparative study

Abstract

This article explores the practical implementation of two innovative projects in Denmark and Sweden. The research is motivated by the high political interest in innovations as a modern quick fix to societal problems. Innovations are regarded as an all-round solution; however, research has mainly been focused on technical and economic factors without considering social problem solving. Utilizing ethnographic methodology, the study reveals that the same innovative process solves problems on one structural level, but creates new problems on another. Faith is generally seen as an important element of innovations geared to social problem solving. Results show that faith is bound to certain structural levels and that a given innovative process runs the risk of creating conflicting perceptions at different levels. The research demonstrates the importance of including components such as value differences, conflicts of interest, and ideology when promoting innovations and when studying innovative efforts.

I denna artikel utforskas två innovativa projekt i Danmark och Sverige. Forskningen motiveras av det stora politiska intresset för innovationer som en modern snabblösning på allehanda samhälleliga problem. Hittills har forskningen om innovationer främst varit inriktad på tekniska och ekonomiska faktorer utan hänsyn till social problemlösning. Genom att använda etnografiska metoder visar studien hur samma innovativa process kan lösa problem på ett plan, men skapar nya på ett annat. Tillit betraktas allmänt som en viktig del av innovativa processer. Studien visar att tillit är bundet till vissa nivåer och att en innovativ process riskerar att skapa motstridiga uppfattningar på en annan nivå. Studien demonstrerar vidare vikten av att ta hänsyn till aspekter såsom intressekonflikter och ideologi när man vill främja eller studera innovationer.

Keywords:

• Innovation
• Social Problem
• Social Work
• Faith
• Activation

Keywords:

• Innovation
• Sociala Problem
• Socialt Arbete
• Tillit
• Aktivering

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Corrigendum

Acknowledgements

The funding for this research has been provided by SKL's (The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions) research programme ‘Innovative municipalities, counties and regional authorities’. The research is in cooperation with Tabitha Wright-Nielsen, PhD candidate at The School of Social Work, Lund University.

Notes

1. A systematic literature review in the major international social science databases was undertaken, including databases from Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Combinations of ‘innovation’ and, for instance, ‘social’, ‘exclusion’ and ‘empowerment’ were looked for. The social work periodicals European Journal of Social Work, International Social Work, Journal of Social Work Practice, The British Journal of Social Work and International Journal of Social Welfare were given special attention.

2. The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal is web-based, available at: http://www.innovation.cc.