JRC Insights - Social Policy Innovation Series - Leveraging Digital Social Innovation: Perspectives from the IESI Knowledge Map

This issue of the ‘JRC Insights’ discusses how ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives that promote social investment through integrated approaches to social services delivery can contribute to the policy objectives of the EU Social Investment Package. Digitally-enhanced social service delivery can promote social investment. ICTs often play a game-changing role in the development of platforms that support innovative partnerships. Here, social challenges can be addressed by focusing on two objectives: (i) the modernisation of social protection systems in the EU Member States and, (ii) promoting experimental approaches to innovation-driven social investments. Modernisation and experimentation in social protection systems has been revived by the emergence of a new type of business, private or not for profit, in the field of social services. These businesses explore or even co-create innovative financial instruments. In particular, evidence gathered shows that ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives respond to the social needs of society or specific groups in society by facilitating co-creation and co-production processes. These processes enrich policy design with stakeholders' specific knowledge and competencies. ICT-enabled social innovation initiatives have the capacity to identify emerging or unmet needs, engage stakeholders and turn their governance models into sustainable production processes. This aspect makes their contributions to social investment approaches particularly apt.