How to foster digital social innovation in the European Union?

Details

Supervisors

Belleflamme, Paul

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Digital social innovations (DSI) are social innovations that use digital technologies to address social needs and environmental challenges. Although they are an emerging phenomenon, DSIs could become important in a European context of accelerating digital transformation. The question then arises as to how to encourage this hybrid form of social innovation in the European Union. To answer this question, this thesis presents what lies behind this DSI concept in Europe and builds a theoretical framework that encompasses all DSIs. Three recommendations are then put forward. On the one hand, the EU should use its power of influence to define a common vision of DSI that would be shared by all member states in order to improve coordination between existing initiatives, strengthen the European network, and enable lagging countries to catch up. On the other hand, the European public sector at all levels (national, regional, supranational) needs to define appropriate innovation policies for the DSI case. Finally, the EU should further support third sector social innovators by clarifying their status and facilitating their access to existing funding sources, as they play an important role for DSI and serve the common good.