The role of the state in social innovation

Abstract

Today, social innovation has become an important driver of society’s well-being. Traditional innovation, which has developed in the past, is primarily for-profit, with actors for for-profit organizations, although it also results in social impacts. At the same time, the primary goal of social innovation is to solve social problems, increase the well-being of society, and state bodies, especially the territorial and local bodies of public administration, can contribute effectively to its implementation. The state is able to influence the increase of civic participation in decision-making, the enforcement of environmental aspects, or even the efficiency of digital services by public law instruments. Progress has already been made in this field, but the use of state-public instruments needs to be stepped up and refined in the future, both in legislation and in a more efficient public administration.