Revisiting Social Innovation through the Lens of the Global North and South

This presentation explores different notions of innovation and social innovation, contrasting perspectives from Europe and Latin America. Drawing on three key concepts - social innovation, grassroots innovation and Buen Vivir (BV) -. Although these concepts do not reflect innovation in the same dimensions, they share a critical perspective on an idea of innovation and development that is different from purely technological development and that needs to discuss new social arrangements.

The research highlights the characteristics of social innovation and analyses how it is understood in different regions and cultures (Maldonado-Mariscal, 2023a). It also reflects on a study that analyses the importance of the combination of social innovation and grassroots innovation, in which countries in the Global South, particularly India and Brazil, play a major role (Maldonado-Mariscal, 2023b). Finally, the study deepens the four analytical dimensions of Buen Vivir (technology, environment, economy and society) and offers a vision of how this socio-environmental philosophy rooted in Latin America emphasises the balance between human well-being, community and nature, as well as ecological harmony over traditional growth models (Maldonado-Mariscal & Hölsgens, 2024).By comparing the different approaches to innovation in the European and Latin American contexts, this research provides a comprehensive understanding of how social innovation can serve as a tool to address global challenges. It also highlights the importance of alternative perspectives in shaping more sustainable and inclusive development pathways.

Maldonado-Mariscal, K. (2023a) Social Innovation. Modern Perspectives of Transformation. In Jodka, S.S. and Rehbein, B. (eds.) Global Handbook of Inequality. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97417-6_15-1

Maldonado-Mariscal, K. (2023b). Grassroots innovation and social innovation in perspective. Frontiers in Sociology, 8, 1247293. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1247293

Maldonado-Mariscal, K. and Hölsgens, R. (2024) Reimagining Innovation Pathways: Exnovation and Buen Vivir as Global North-South Dialogues, Journal of Responsible Innovation, DOI: 10.1080/23299460.2024.2414510