The study was partially funded by RFBR within the scientific project no. 18-010-00717. The supervisor of the project is Head of Laboratory, Leading Researcher, Candidate of Sciences (Economics) Galina V. Leonidova.
Due to the growing global socio-economic and environmental challenges (population ageing, climate change, society polarization, etc.), there is a revaluation of a position and role of innovations in overcoming threats to social development in the modern world. Researchers note a shift in the innovation paradigm toward social innovation, since it is assumed that it is not possible to achieve a drastic improvement of the situation solely through technological innovations.
At present, the concept of social innovation took a firm position among priority areas for development of the social economy of European countries. The view on social innovations as a driving force of social changes, which contribute to improving population’s quality of life, has taken root in public discourse.
At the same time, many existing problems cannot be solved with efforts of a single actor – intersectoral cooperation becomes a necessity. This aspect is of key importance for development of social innovation. In the course of the discussion, different options of cross-sectoral collaboration are considered: from pairwise linear models to large-scale network structures. Special attention is paid to the formation of a favorable environment for development of social innovations, which creates incentives for mutually beneficial cooperation similar to natural ecosystems.
The authors accumulate empirical material on the development of social innovations in a specific environment, which brings clarity in understanding the essence of the studied phenomenon from perspective of different actors and their relationships.
The paper presents essential foundations and the role of social innovations in solving current society’s problems. Using the example of government structures, big business, and civil society, the authors explore the features of social innovation development in Russia. It is shown that development of social innovations depends on their interpretation in public discourse, involvement in strategies of various actors, and intersectoral cooperation in the innovation process. In conclusion, the prospects for development of studied phenomenon are determined within identified trends and the specifics of interconnections between designated actors.
The findings may be used by public authorities while developing specific management decisions aimed at creating an enabling environment for unfolding the potential of intersectoral cooperation.
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