About the series
The Critical Perspectives on Social Innovation series from the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation aims to provide you with insightful critiques of social innovation theory and practice.
The idea and practices of social innovation have been adopted by social, public and private organisations across the globe. In particular, financial instruments and entrepreneurship as the primary routes to social impact. In doing so, there is the danger of an ‘one size fits all’ approach to social innovation, rather than exploring practises drawn from other times, places and cultural contexts.
Read our critical perspectives
Critical commentaries on contemporary social innovation theory and practise as well as exploring alternative approaches.
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Peaceshaping | In this contribution Professors Neil Stott and Paul Tracey and Dr Jarrod Pendlebury explore what ‘peaceshaping’ means to them.. | Neil Stott, Jarrod Pendlebury & Paul Tracey | Download the full commentary |
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Climate organising: a social-regenerative approach | The news on the climate emergency is unrelentingly bad. The reality of climate change on the health and livelihoods of those who experience intense heat, floods, fires and drought is horrifying. Confronted with such a threat, how should we react? We suggest 5 social regenerative principles and a framework for social- regenerative provisioning to achieve the wellbeing of ‘us’, ‘us together’ and ‘others’. which combines what we define as collective, affective and calculative approaches to climate solidarity. | Neil Stott, Michelle Darlington & Paul Tracey | Download full commentary |
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Breaking barriers: lessons from Cambridge on embracing diversity and innovation | In today’s world, people often stick to their own groups, whether in work, social circles, or online. However, stepping out of these comfort zones and embracing moments of awkwardness with those different from us can lead to a brighter future. Doing the same things in the same way isn’t enough anymore; we need to try something new. In this article, I’ll share my journey to Cambridge and how I discovered that those I thought were different from me were actually allies. | Simon Dwight | Download full commentary |
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Social innovation and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: 5 blockages to progress | Social innovators have embraced UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as they provide a framework for their work and spark creativity in addressing global issues. However, progress towards the SDGs has been slow. While various entities are engaged in efforts to achieve the goals, there are 5 core assumptions that are hindering progress. These assumptions shape a specific approach to social change that needs to be reconsidered in order to make significant strides towards meeting the SDG targets. | Paul Tracey & Neil Stott | Download full commentary |