Uncharted Territory - Essential Skills Ontario

WHERE DOES SOCIAL INNOVATION HAPPEN?3.2 The Public SectorIn the public sector, social innovation can take many forms. It may mean newpublic programs, better ways of organizing things, changing methods offunding (e.g. pay for performance), new means of communicating and usingemerging technology to allow program co-design and evaluation through“open data”. While governments have been pioneers of social innovations,two current drivers are noteworthy. First, fiscal realities and structural issuesare causing the public sector to consider both how it allocates and isaccountable for its funds. Second, the growth centres in most Westerneconomies have shifted from manufacturing, retail and transportation, tohealthcare, education and old-age supports – areas in which government is amajor player, as provider, funder and/or regulator. These are areas where aconvergence of innovation between the public, private and third sectors canultimately benefit the clients of these services.To mitigate the risks of growing deficits and to improve government services,many countries and regional governments have established targeted funds toencourage social innovation strategies. Broadly speaking, governments seetheir role as investors in innovative solutions that demonstrate better results.Tools, such as innovation “seed” funds, and other social capital marketstructures can direct resources toward community solutions, such as creatinggovernment/non-government partnerships to promote and develop bettermechanisms to measure and evaluate programs, improve outcomes, or fosterknowledge of what works and why. A critical role of government as a funderof services is to provide incentives for innovation.Nevertheless, efforts in the last ten years to foster social innovation in thepublic sector have not always decreased costs or improved outcomes (OECD,2011). A recent paper attributes this to the challenge of simultaneouslyfunding both innovative approaches and ineffective programs and services.The authors argue that truly transformational social innovation in the publicsector requires simultaneous “creative decommissioning”, which activelychallenges current service models and mindsets. Unless older and lessproductive programs and systems are decommissioned, social innovation inthe public sector, they suggest, may end up being an additional expense (Buntand Leadbeater, 2012).Uncharted Territory: Can Social Innovation Revitalize Literacy and Essential Skills Programs? • 11