The Elgar Companion to Social Innovation and the Sustainable Development Goals

In this far-reaching Elgar Companion, leading scholars and practitioners survey the current state of knowledge, practice and policy on social innovation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to provide guidance for future research in the area. Considering the SDGs individually, together and sustainable development as a whole, they explore relationships between social innovation, the SDGs and the biosphere, society and economy, across organizational settings.

A range of international contributors examine social innovation and the SDGs across diverse geographies, drawing on varied methodologies and theories. A valuable new definition and ‘propellor’ conceptualization of the intersection of social innovation and the SDGs is proposed. Chapters provide practical insights from case studies across the globe focusing on individual SDGs and the broader goals, addressing social innovation systems across sectors or problem domains. The Companion considers a variety of different social innovators including social entrepreneurs, nonprofits and traditional business ventures, as well as hybrid organizations such as social enterprises, universities, intermediaries and cross-sector partnerships.

This Companion is a vital reference for students and academics in business and management, human geography, development studies, sociology and politics. Practitioners and policymakers working in the field of social innovation and the SDGs will also benefit from this insightful resource.