Inequality and marginalisation: social innovation, social entrepreneurship and business model innovation

Abstract

Nowadays societies face many societal challenges, among which increasing inequality and marginalisation. This paper uses this key to read the discussion undertaken during the DRUID Conference 2015 ‘Relevance of Innovation’, held at LUISS Business School (Rome, IT). We focus on the speeches, sessions, and debates that were hosted at the conference. We expand them and build on them to advance scholarly discussion on how social innovation, social entrepreneurship and business model innovation can be used to face inequality and marginalisation. The main idea we place at the centre of the discussion is empowerment of marginalised individuals by social innovation initiatives and social entrepreneurial ventures. Business model innovation is seen as instrumental to this, being a crucial tool to foster hybrid organisations and institutions able to merge the social and economic dimensions.

Keywords:

• Inequality and marginalisation
• social innovation
• social entrepreneurship
• business model innovation
• empowerment of marginalised individuals

JEL classifications:

• M14
• O35
• L31
• P11

Notes

¹ As a lively and ongoing debate emerged around the role and importance of the creative class in our economies (to follow the unfolding of this debate, see Florida 2014), its geographic dimension was enriched by a series of contributions that started to qualify this class’ role in different urban contexts. Very much inspired by Jane Jacobs’ insight, this research line linked creativity to its contextual dimension (Hospers and van Dalm 2005).