Mapping social innovation impact evaluation: a comprehensive literature review and prospects for future research

In recent years, SI initiatives have emerged as a promising approach to addressing pressing social and environmental challenges. However, despite their proliferation and potential benefits, the evaluation frameworks for assessing their impact effectively are often lacking. This gap in the current literature on SI impact evaluation is further compounded by fragmentation, with limited established frameworks or methods for evaluating the impact of SI initiatives. To address this research gap, we conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 185 studies published in the Web of Science database from 2008 to 2023. Our rigorous analysis revealed significant research gaps and identified four thematic areas related to the development of evaluation frameworks, including collaboration and co-creation in impact evaluation of SIs, comprehensive and context-specific approaches to evaluating SI initiatives, financial factors in SI impact evaluation, and technology acceptance and SI impact. Through a content analysis of these thematic areas, our study provides key insights into the current state of research on SI impact evaluation and identifies potential avenues for future research. The findings of our study contribute to a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with SI impact evaluation and offer valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working in this area.