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Towards a More Inclusive Society: The Social Return on Investment (SROI) of an Innovative Ankle–Foot Orthosis for Hemiplegic Children

Author

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  • Andrea Di Francesco

    (Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4/B, 20156 Milan, Italy)

  • Maria Pinelli

    (Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4/B, 20156 Milan, Italy)

  • Emanuele Lettieri

    (Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4/B, 20156 Milan, Italy)

  • Giovanni Toletti

    (Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4/B, 20156 Milan, Italy)

  • Manuela Galli

    (Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy)

Abstract

Hemiplegia is a form of disability that affects one side of the body and has a prevalence of 0.5–0.7 per 1000 live births. It has consequences not only at the medical level but also on psychological, cognitive, and social aspects, and it prevents children from social participation, especially in sports settings. The studies demonstrating the social impact of sports on the hemiplegic population and, in particular, children, are limited. In addition, previous evaluations of healthcare sports initiatives in the hemiplegic population are not available, and traditional methods of evaluation, which are mostly focused on economic outcomes, are not applicable. Thus, this article employs the social return on investment (SROI) methodology, which is able to determine the socio-economic impacts of an initiative, to evaluate the impact of an innovative ankle–foot orthosis (AFO) for hemiplegic children that was created to promote the possibility of “sports for all”. The model was designed with the involvement of stakeholders in all the phases and with mixed methods to assess the input, outcomes, and impact indicators. The final SROI, computed for a time horizon of three years and with a focus on the Lombardy Region, was equal to 3.265:1. Based on this result, the initiative turned out to be worthy of investment.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Di Francesco & Maria Pinelli & Emanuele Lettieri & Giovanni Toletti & Manuela Galli, 2023. "Towards a More Inclusive Society: The Social Return on Investment (SROI) of an Innovative Ankle–Foot Orthosis for Hemiplegic Children," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:5:p:4361-:d:1084129
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Giovanni Lombardo & Andrea Mazzocchetti & Irene Rapallo & Nader Tayser & Silvano Cincotti, 2019. "Assessment of the Economic and Social Impact Using SROI: An Application to Sport Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-21, July.
    2. Ricciuti, Elisa & Bufali, Maria Vittoria, 2019. "The health and social impact of Blood Donors Associations: A Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 204-213.
    3. Mercedes Ruiz-Lozano & Pilar Tirado-Valencia & Antonio Sianes & Antonio Ariza-Montes & Vicente Fernández-Rodríguez & Mª Carmen López-Martín, 2020. "SROI Methodology for Public Administration Decisions about Financing with Social Criteria. A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, February.
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