Thematic Report on the contribution of the ESF to Social innovation Evaluation partnership meeting 7 December 2017 Costanza Pagnini Fondazione G. Brodolini

Social Innovation The development and implementation of new ideas […] to meet social needs and create new social relationships or collaborations. […] new responses to pressing social demands, which affect the process of social interactions. […] Social innovations are innovations that are social in both their ends and means (European Commission, Guide to social innovation, 2013)

Features of SI The EC Guide to Social Innovation identifies some elements which characterise Social innovation, these are: an open rather than closed process in terms of ownership of knowledge often multi-disciplinary and integrated bottom-up and participative rather than top-down (which is conducive to the empowerment of different target groups) demand-led rather than supply-driven tailored rather than mass produced

Policy Background Importance of SI in tackling new societal challenges in an innovative and cost effective way Social Investment Package: social innovation must be an integral part of necessary adjustments by testing new policy approaches and selecting the most effective ones The SIP anticipates that more guidance will be given to MS in the areas of social innovation, deinstitutionalisation and health to make the most of social investments.

Social Innovation and the ESF ESF Regulation Make policies more responsive to social change. ESF should support innovative social enterprises and entrepreneurs and innovative projects taken on by non-governmental organisations and other actors within the social economy. In particular, testing and evaluating innovative solutions before scaling them up is instrumental in improving the efficiency of policies and thus justifies specific support from the ESF. Innovative solutions could include, provided they prove to be effective, the development of social metrics such as, for example, social labelling. Art. 9 ESF Reg The ESF shall promote social innovation within all areas falling under its scope, as defined in Article 3 of this Regulation, in particular with the aim of testing, evaluating and scaling up innovative solutions, including at the local or regional level, in order to address social needs in partnership with the relevant partners and, in particular, social partners.

Social innovation and the ESF Horizontal principle Mainstreamed vs Specific actions Importance of partnership approach ESF in OP and AIRs

SI in ESF 11 OPs in 7 MS have selected dedicated Pax (800m €) 107 OPs reported on SI in AIR2016

Key challenges Demarcation No shared understanding/knowledge Horizontal principle Evaluation/assessment No consolidated approaches Mainstreaming

Methodological approach Building the analytical framework (Inception) Lit review/Concept SI matrix for mapping and assessing Scoping interviews Mapping SI – filling the matrix (Interim) Screening of AIRs/(OPs) E-survey all MAs In-depth interviews Research questions (Final report) Case studies Answering evaluation questions

Research questions Effectiveness How is the ESF supporting social innovation? Approaches, interventions? main thematic objectives/sectors targeted? Is support adequate in promoting social innovation (eg address societal challenges, use of public-private partnership, testing initiatives with a view to upscaling them)? De-institutionalisation Main criticalities M&E?

Research questions Relevance: Coherence: Eu added value are the social innovation initiatives promoted by the ESF relevant to the most pressing societal challenges? Coherence: Is there a complementarity/synergy with other EU initiatives in the field and/or other funding instruments such as the EASI, Horizon 2020? Eu added value What is the role of mutual learning/territorial cooperation in this context? What is the role of Community Led Local Development?