IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i21p9502-d1779601.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social Innovation Ecosystems in Times of Crisis: Rethinking Innovation Policy Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Saray Bucio-Mendoza

    (Facultad de Arquitectura, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia 58000, Mexico)

  • José Alberto Solis-Navarrete

    (Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia 58190, Mexico)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed structural weaknesses in health systems, economies, and governance frameworks, while simultaneously stimulating diverse forms of social innovation. This article examines the emergence and operation of Social Innovation Ecosystems (SIEs) during the crisis, drawing on a qualitative review of experiences from 34 countries. The objective is to analyze how these ecosystems were configured, the mechanisms that enabled their continuity, and the implications for the design of innovation policies. The findings highlight three main dimensions through which SIEs were mobilized: governance arrangements, digital platforms, and community resilience. These ecosystems brought together civil society, academia, government, and, in a more limited role, private-sector organizations, providing adaptive responses to urgent needs while also revealing challenges to their institutional consolidation. Conceptually, the article advances understanding of SIEs as experimental arrangements with potential to contribute to socio-technical transitions when embedded in inclusive policy frameworks. From a policy perspective, the study underlines the importance of flexible funding instruments, adaptive governance mechanisms, and collaborative infrastructures that integrate social innovation as a central component of regional and sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Saray Bucio-Mendoza & José Alberto Solis-Navarrete, 2025. "Social Innovation Ecosystems in Times of Crisis: Rethinking Innovation Policy Through the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-20, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:21:p:9502-:d:1779601
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/21/9502/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/21/9502/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Smith, Adrian & Raven, Rob, 2012. "What is protective space? Reconsidering niches in transitions to sustainability," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 1025-1036.
    2. Bengt-Åke Lundvall, 2007. "National Innovation Systems—Analytical Concept and Development Tool," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 95-119.
    3. Ben Spigel, 2017. "The Relational Organization of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(1), pages 49-72, January.
    4. Arocena, Rodrigo & Sutz, Judith, 2021. "Universities and social innovation for global sustainable development as seen from the south," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    5. Cajaiba-Santana, Giovany, 2014. "Social innovation: Moving the field forward. A conceptual framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 42-51.
    6. Geels, Frank W. & Schot, Johan, 2007. "Typology of sociotechnical transition pathways," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 399-417, April.
    7. Alotaibi Jareh, 2025. "Sustainable Social Innovation as a Solution for Systemic Change and Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-21, February.
    8. David B. Audretsch & Georg M. Eichler & Erich J. Schwarz, 2022. "Emerging needs of social innovators and social innovation ecosystems," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 217-254, March.
    9. Valentina Cattivelli & Vincenzo Rusciano, 2020. "Social Innovation and Food Provisioning during Covid-19: The Case of Urban–Rural Initiatives in the Province of Naples," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-15, May.
    10. van der Have, Robert P. & Rubalcaba, Luis, 2016. "Social innovation research: An emerging area of innovation studies?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(9), pages 1923-1935.
    11. Nylund, Petra A. & Amores-Bravo, Xavier & Ferràs-Hernández, Xavier & Brem, Alexander, 2023. "Crisis as a catalyst of idle innovation ecosystems: Evidence from ecosystem exaptation of a water partnership," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    12. Popadiuk, Silvio & Choo, Chun Wei, 2006. "Innovation and knowledge creation: How are these concepts related?," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 302-312.
    13. Solis-Navarrete, José Alberto & Bucio-Mendoza, Saray & Paneque-Gálvez, Jaime, 2021. "What is not social innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    14. Edwards-Schachter, Mónica & Wallace, Matthew L., 2017. "‘Shaken, but not stirred’: Sixty years of defining social innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 64-79.
    15. United Nations UN, 2015. "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Working Papers id:7559, eSocialSciences.
    16. Dmitri Domanski & Jürgen Howaldt & Christoph Kaletka, 2020. "A comprehensive concept of social innovation and its implications for the local context – on the growing importance of social innovation ecosystems and infrastructures," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 454-474, March.
    17. Andrea Ancona & Matteo Cinelli & Giovanna Ferraro & Antonio Iovanella, 2023. "Network-based principles of entrepreneurial ecosystems: a case study of a start-up network," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(4), pages 1497-1514, December.
    18. Alina Kadyrova, 2024. "Exploring Structures of Urban Social Innovation Ecosystems: Cases of Manchester, Utrecht, Stockholm, Sofia and Budapest," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 77-99, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Attila Havas & Doris Schartinger & K. Matthias Weber, 2022. "Innovation Studies, Social Innovation, and Sustainability Transitions Research: From mutual ignorance towards an integrative perspective?," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 2227, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    2. Laura Rodrigo & Isabel Ortiz-Marcos & Miguel Palacios, 2024. "A typology of social innovation: A comparative study of clustering methodologies," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 3283-3322, December.
    3. Pel, Bonno & Haxeltine, Alex & Avelino, Flor & Dumitru, Adina & Kemp, René & Bauler, Tom & Kunze, Iris & Dorland, Jens & Wittmayer, Julia & Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard, 2020. "Towards a theory of transformative social innovation: A relational framework and 12 propositions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(8).
    4. de Souza João-Roland, Iraci & Granados, Maria L., 2023. "Towards social innovation strategy: An analysis of UK social enterprises," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    5. Julia Maria Wittmayer & Tessa de Geus & Bonno Pel & F. Avelino & Sabine Hielscher & Thomas Hoppe & Marie Susan Mühlemeier & Agata Stasik & Sem Oxenaar & Karoline K.S. Rogge & Vivian Visser & Esther Ma, 2020. "Beyond instrumentalism: Broadening the understanding of social innovation in socio-technical energy systems," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/312323, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    6. Ballet, Jérôme & Bazin, Damien Jérôme Albert & Komena, Boniface K., 2020. "Unequal capabilities and natural resource management: The case of Côte d’Ivoire," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    7. Marletto, Gerardo & Sillig, Cécile, 2019. "Lost in Mainstreaming? Agrifood and Urban Mobility Grassroots Innovations with Multiple Pathways and Outcomes," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 88-100.
    8. Néstor Vercher, 2022. "Territorial Social Innovation and Alternative Food Networks: The Case of a New Farmers’ Cooperative on the Island of Ibiza (Spain)," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-22, May.
    9. Samuel Adomako & Xiaohui Liu & Riikka M. Sarala & Mujtaba Ahsan & Jeoung Yul Lee & Oded Shenkar, 2024. "Multinational Corporations and Social Innovation in Emerging Markets," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 64(3), pages 343-363, June.
    10. Dian Prihadyanti & Subkhi Abdul Aziz & Karlina Sari, 2024. "Diffusion of Social Innovation: the Innovation Provider’s Perspective," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 4516-4570, March.
    11. Solis-Navarrete, José Alberto & Bucio-Mendoza, Saray & Paneque-Gálvez, Jaime, 2021. "What is not social innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    12. Ghazinoory, Sepehr & Nasri, Shohreh & Ameri, Fatemeh & Montazer, Gholam Ali & Shayan, Ali, 2020. "Why do we need ‘Problem-oriented Innovation System (PIS)’ for solving macro-level societal problems?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    13. Mónica Ramos-Mejía & Alejandro Balanzo, 2018. "What It Takes to Lead Sustainability Transitions from the Bottom-Up: Strategic Interactions of Grassroots Ecopreneurs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-20, July.
    14. Marina Van Geenhuizen & Razieh Nejabat, 2021. "Municipalities’ Policy on Innovation and Market Introduction in Sustainable Energy: A Focus on Local Young Technology Firms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, February.
    15. Friederike Elsner & Christian Herzig & Patrizia Pugliese & Hamid El Bilali & Lea Ellen Matthiessen & Rita Góralska-Walczak & Youssef Aboussaleh & Cesare Zanasi & Carola Strassner, 2025. "Agri-food related social innovations in sustainability transitions: a multiple case study of initiatives across Europe and Northern Africa engaged in change," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 42(3), pages 1895-1918, September.
    16. Filippo Celata & Venere Stefania sanna, "undated". "Community activism and sustainability: a multi-dimensional assessment," Working Papers 137/14, Sapienza University of Rome, Metodi e Modelli per l'Economia, il Territorio e la Finanza MEMOTEF.
    17. John Hagedoorn & Helen Haugh & Paul Robson & Kate Sugar, 2023. "Social innovation, goal orientation, and openness: insights from social enterprise hybrids," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 173-198, January.
    18. Petteri Repo & Kaisa Matschoss, 2019. "Social Innovation for Sustainability Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, December.
    19. Jui-Che Tu & Xu Zhang & Xipeng Liao, 2024. "Analysis of Domain Intersection and Knowledge Evolution—The Development of the Fields of Social Innovation and Design Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-21, March.
    20. Marianne Ryghaug & Michael Ornetzeder & Tomas Moe Skjølsvold & William Throndsen, 2019. "The Role of Experiments and Demonstration Projects in Efforts of Upscaling: An Analysis of Two Projects Attempting to Reconfigure Production and Consumption in Energy and Mobility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-15, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:21:p:9502-:d:1779601. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.