Preliminary reading and research with Anishanaabe Maamwaye Aki Kiigayewin and the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (MNCFN) indicated that integrating Indigenous Knowledge and Practices into existing social innovation strategies is not always sufficient to provide useful tools for Indigenous innovation process. However, it became clear that social innovation shares common ground with the Indigenous resurgence movement and, when considered along with critical indigenist research strategies, can provide direction for Indigenous innovations at multiple scales. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a preliminary exploration of social innovation from a critical indigenist perspective to increase its utility in Indigenous contexts. Together with Anishanaabe Maamwaye Aki Kiigayewin and MNCFN, and following Indigenous scholars, I have strived to implement
critical indigenist methodologies by linking critical and Indigenous methodologies through action-oriented research to address the asserted
needs and interests of Indigenous partners. Through this critical indigenist approach, I have strived to implement participant observation, reflexivity, and settler storytelling to fulfill my research objectives. Through a discussion of current initiatives undertaken by Anishanaabe Maamwaye Aki Kiigayewin, I demonstrate that major themes and strategies of social innovation are useful in supporting the resurgence of Indigenous Knowledge and Practices. This discussion results in the conclusion that Indigenous innovation is a unique type of social innovation informed by Indigenous Knowledge to promote the resurgence of Indigenous Knowledge and Practices. From this position, I propose a conceptual model for Indigenous innovation that links resilience, social innovation, Indigenous resurgence, and critical indigenist research strategies with the intent to lay a foundation for further development of a historicized, culturally appropriate model that promotes the resurgence of Indigenous Knowledge and Practice. I demonstrate the utility of this model by using it to organize a description of current initiatives underway in MNCFN and then using it to speculate on future initiatives that may foster successful innovation(s) in MNCFN Traditional Territory. In conclusion, articulating Indigenous innovation as a unique type of social innovation may lead to developing approaches to relationship building and knowledge integration that are culturally appropriate and ultimately more useful for Indigenous innovators looking to implement them.

This dissertation presents the findings of an exploratory collective case-study examining corporate innovations arising from voluntary dyadic engagement between UK firms and nonprofit organisations (NPOs) focused on social issues. Whilst the extant literature demonstrates that pro-active engagement with NPOs can assist firms innovate, there has been no empirical work which explores the relationship between the engagement and the innovation outcome: a gap which this research addresses. In doing so, it illustrates how concepts and constructs from the innovation management literature can be applied usefully to the stakeholder and cross-sector collaboration field. To date, empirical studies addressing firm-NPO engagements have concentrated overwhelmingly on partnerships to address environmental issues. This study provides insights into cross-sector engagements focused on addressing social issues. Using a form of analytic induction to evaluate qualitative case-data from ten dyadic engagements, this dissertation addresses the question: “how do firms innovate through engagement with social issues nonprofit organisations?” The research found that product and service innovations resulted from engagements where the firm had an external stakeholder orientation and was focused on delivering tangible demonstrations of corporate responsibility. Process innovations, by contrast, were produced from engagements where firms had an internal stakeholder orientation. Two distinctions were noted in the innovation process, too. Firstly, a more exploratory approach to dyadic engagement activities, which resulted in an emergent innovation process; and secondly, a focused and pre-determined search activity to exploit the resources of the nonprofit partner which demonstrated a more planned innovation process. In addition, two distinct boundary spanning roles were identified: in dyads with no direct management involvement in the engagement, the role was associated with formal responsibilities from senior management to „manage‟ innovation opportunities and outcomes. In dyads where senior management were involved, there was no such formality; the boundary spanner acted to „facilitate‟ search and exploration to locate opportunities for innovation through idea exchange. The application of innovation constructs to the business and society field has enabled firm engagement with nonprofit stakeholders to be examined through a new lens and demonstrated how firms innovate from such relationships. In particular it has highlighted the key role played by the firm boundary spanner (relationship manager) and how this role alters depending on senior management involvement: a distinction which has not been made in the extant literature and would benefit from further examination.

Background: Events happening in the 21st century- global economic crisis, naturaldisasters, extreme poverty, struggles and conflicts have led to a realization that we areliving in a troubled world where we are interdependent in one way or the other. These issues tend to be complex and intertwined such that delegating them to a single sectoris too huge of a task to bear, thus the need for social innovation through cross sector collaboration. The case of the Refugee Housing Unit is being studied- a collaboration between the IKEA Foundation, UNHCR and the Swedish Industrial Design Foundation led to the creation of a more sustainable environmental friendly shelter for refugees.Since social innovation is a green field especially in a BOP context, the research is aimed at understanding how the RHU case can provide important insight in which collaboration theory can be applied between sectors to shape future social innovation endeavors. Aim: The aim of this thesis is to study the collaboration of organizations belonging to different sectors to create social innovations. This research will examine how collaboration between sectors takes place, and through the empirical case of theRefugee Housing Unit, derive key learning points that could shape future social innovation projects. A framework will be developed that could provide important insightsfor future socially oriented collaborations. Methodology: The proposed framework was developed through a study of socialinnovation theory in terms how it can be accelerated through cross sector collaborationiitheory. A case study that entailed these two theories was chosen to enable the development of a suggested framework. The study involved collection of primary data inform of interviews with Johan Karlsson and Chris Earney, RHU project leader and UNHCR Innovation co-leader, respectively. Additionally, secondary data was used tohelp understand the case further. Results: Examining the core elements of cross-sectoral collaboration for social innovation showed imperative social aspects as well as key dimensions that are pillars for the process of collaboration. The RHU case revealed critical factors for collaboration between sectors that are well stipulated in the framework. The framework can act as a guide for organizations wishing to collaborate for social innovation as well as provide abasis for future research in this young field.

Preliminary reading and research with Anishanaabe Maamwaye Aki Kiigayewin and the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (MNCFN) indicated that integrating Indigenous Knowledge and Practices into existing social innovation strategies is not always sufficient to provide useful tools for Indigenous innovation process. However, it became clear that social innovation shares common ground with the Indigenous resurgence movement and, when considered along with critical indigenist research strategies, can provide direction for Indigenous innovations at multiple scales. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a preliminary exploration of social innovation from a critical indigenist perspective to increase its utility in Indigenous contexts. Together with Anishanaabe Maamwaye Aki Kiigayewin and MNCFN, and following Indigenous scholars, I have strived to implement
critical indigenist methodologies by linking critical and Indigenous methodologies through action-oriented research to address the asserted
needs and interests of Indigenous partners. Through this critical indigenist approach, I have strived to implement participant observation, reflexivity, and settler storytelling to fulfill my research objectives. Through a discussion of current initiatives undertaken by Anishanaabe Maamwaye Aki Kiigayewin, I demonstrate that major themes and strategies of social innovation are useful in supporting the resurgence of Indigenous Knowledge and Practices. This discussion results in the conclusion that Indigenous innovation is a unique type of social innovation informed by Indigenous Knowledge to promote the resurgence of Indigenous Knowledge and Practices. From this position, I propose a conceptual model for Indigenous innovation that links resilience, social innovation, Indigenous resurgence, and critical indigenist research strategies with the intent to lay a foundation for further development of a historicized, culturally appropriate model that promotes the resurgence of Indigenous Knowledge and Practice. I demonstrate the utility of this model by using it to organize a description of current initiatives underway in MNCFN and then using it to speculate on future initiatives that may foster successful innovation(s) in MNCFN Traditional Territory. In conclusion, articulating Indigenous innovation as a unique type of social innovation may lead to developing approaches to relationship building and knowledge integration that are culturally appropriate and ultimately more useful for Indigenous innovators looking to implement them.

As transformações promovidas por inovações tecnológicas no âmbito dos setores tradicionais da economia oferecem significativo avanço para a sociedade moderna. No entanto, boa parte dos projetos tecnológicos implementados desencadeiam novos níveis de produtividade que acabam por gerar uma legião de excluídos, por não conseguir incluir-se novamente na economia formal em ocupações que demandam nível de capacitação mais sofisticado. Assim, surge o desafio de elaborar novos modelos de desenvolvimento a fim de equalizar os efeitos de boa parte das inovações tecnológicas dos setores tradicionais da economia a partir de um enfoque de governança em tecnologias sociais associado à sustentabilidade. Portanto, esta dissertação buscou responder a seguinte questão: como a governança em tecnologias sociais pode ser associada à sustentabilidade a fim de constituir uma nova abordagem que possa servir de referência e também contribuir para reverter o quadro de populações em situação de risco social e econômico? A proposta desta pesquisa objetivou a elaboração de uma abordagem de governança em tecnologias sociais, considerando a perspectiva multinível, no sentido de tornar mais eficaz o processo de incluir uma legião de pessoas que carece de novas oportunidades dentro de um cenário tecnológico de ordem social, no qual possam desenvolver vocações regionais, existentes ou novas, e tecnologias sociais para estabelecer um novo paradigma ligado à sustentabilidade envolvendo economias vulneráveis. Para atingir esse objetivo, foram propostas duas etapas, envolvendo dados secundários e dados primários. A primeira foi a realização de uma pesquisa exploratória, de natureza qualitativa, a partir de um referencial teórico inicial envolvendo conceitos sob a ótica da governança, da sustentabilidade e dos impactos a partir da adoção de governança em tecnologias sociais. Assim, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com dois grupos: i) instituições que atuam com governança em tecnologias sociais e ii) instituições que formulam políticas públicas em tecnologias sociais. Essa etapa teve a finalidade de analisar iniciativas e modelos desenvolvidos no Brasil sob o enfoque de governança em tecnologias sociais, a fim de identificar os fatores que influenciam positivamente projetos regionais, os fatores que impedem o avanço de projetos e propostas para ações no âmbito nacional voltadas ao desenvolvimento de tecnologias sociais que gerem impactos sustentáveis nas esferas do desenvolvimento social, econômico e tecnológico. A segunda etapa consistiu na análise dos resultados obtidos na pesquisa exploratória, a fim de organizá-los para propor a abordagem de governança em tecnologias sociais. Essa sistemática observou os conceitos presentes na governança para o desenvolvimento de melhores políticas e estratégias públicas, desempenhando importante papel para a melhoria da qualidade de vida de populações vulneráveis. A perspectiva de governança para a construção de modelos que permitam o avanço de tecnologias sociais é uma proposta nova, relevante, desafiadora, que oferece muitas oportunidades para inclusão social e se faz presente como um diferencial imprescindível para o sucesso da identificação de propostas sólidas para o avanço da pesquisa sobre o tema. / The transformations promoted by technological innovations within traditional sectors of the economy offer significant breakthrough for modern society. However, much of the implemented technological projects unleash new levels of productivity that generate a legion of excluded people that fails to return to the formal economy in occupations that require a more sophisticated level of training. Thus, arises the challenge to develop new models of development in order to equalize the impacts regarding much of the technological innovations in the traditional sectors of the economy from a governance approach on social technologies associated with sustainability. Therefore, this work aimed to answer the question: how governance in social technologies can be linked to sustainability in order to constitute a new approach that can serve as a reference and also help to reverse the situation of the population exposed to social and economic risk? The purpose of this research aimed at the development of a governance approach to social technologies, considering the multilevel perspective, in order to make more effective the process of including a legion of people that lacks new opportunities within a technological scenario of social order, in which can develop regional, existing or new, vocations, and social technologies to establish a new paradigm associated to sustainability involving vulnerable economies. To achieve this goal, two steps have been proposed involving secondary and primary data. The first was to perform a qualitative, exploratory research, from an initial theoretical background involving concepts from the perspective of governance, sustainability, and the impact from the adoption of governance in social technologies. Thus, semi-structured interviews were conducted with two groups: i) institutions working with governance in social technologies and ii) institutions formulating public policies in social technologies. This step sought to analyze initiatives and models developed in Brazil, under the governance focus on social technologies, in order to identify the factors that positively influence regional projects, the factors that interfere in the progress of projects and proposals for action at the national level aimed at developing social technologies that generate sustainable impacts in the spheres of social, economic and technological developments. The second step consisted in the analysis of the results obtained from the exploratory research in order to organize them to propose the governance approach to social technologies. This approach followed the concepts in governance to develop better public policies and strategies, playing an important role in improving the quality of life of vulnerable populations. The governance perspective for building models which can foster social technologies is a new, relevant, challenging proposal, offering many opportunities for social inclusion and making it present as an essential advantage for the successful identification of solid proposals for the research advance on the subject.

As transformações promovidas por inovações tecnológicas no âmbito dos setores tradicionais da economia oferecem significativo avanço para a sociedade moderna. No entanto, boa parte dos projetos tecnológicos implementados desencadeiam novos níveis de produtividade que acabam por gerar uma legião de excluídos, por não conseguir incluir-se novamente na economia formal em ocupações que demandam nível de capacitação mais sofisticado. Assim, surge o desafio de elaborar novos modelos de desenvolvimento a fim de equalizar os efeitos de boa parte das inovações tecnológicas dos setores tradicionais da economia a partir de um enfoque de governança em tecnologias sociais associado à sustentabilidade. Portanto, esta dissertação buscou responder a seguinte questão: como a governança em tecnologias sociais pode ser associada à sustentabilidade a fim de constituir uma nova abordagem que possa servir de referência e também contribuir para reverter o quadro de populações em situação de risco social e econômico? A proposta desta pesquisa objetivou a elaboração de uma abordagem de governança em tecnologias sociais, considerando a perspectiva multinível, no sentido de tornar mais eficaz o processo de incluir uma legião de pessoas que carece de novas oportunidades dentro de um cenário tecnológico de ordem social, no qual possam desenvolver vocações regionais, existentes ou novas, e tecnologias sociais para estabelecer um novo paradigma ligado à sustentabilidade envolvendo economias vulneráveis. Para atingir esse objetivo, foram propostas duas etapas, envolvendo dados secundários e dados primários. A primeira foi a realização de uma pesquisa exploratória, de natureza qualitativa, a partir de um referencial teórico inicial envolvendo conceitos sob a ótica da governança, da sustentabilidade e dos impactos a partir da adoção de governança em tecnologias sociais. Assim, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com dois grupos: i) instituições que atuam com governança em tecnologias sociais e ii) instituições que formulam políticas públicas em tecnologias sociais. Essa etapa teve a finalidade de analisar iniciativas e modelos desenvolvidos no Brasil sob o enfoque de governança em tecnologias sociais, a fim de identificar os fatores que influenciam positivamente projetos regionais, os fatores que impedem o avanço de projetos e propostas para ações no âmbito nacional voltadas ao desenvolvimento de tecnologias sociais que gerem impactos sustentáveis nas esferas do desenvolvimento social, econômico e tecnológico. A segunda etapa consistiu na análise dos resultados obtidos na pesquisa exploratória, a fim de organizá-los para propor a abordagem de governança em tecnologias sociais. Essa sistemática observou os conceitos presentes na governança para o desenvolvimento de melhores políticas e estratégias públicas, desempenhando importante papel para a melhoria da qualidade de vida de populações vulneráveis. A perspectiva de governança para a construção de modelos que permitam o avanço de tecnologias sociais é uma proposta nova, relevante, desafiadora, que oferece muitas oportunidades para inclusão social e se faz presente como um diferencial imprescindível para o sucesso da identificação de propostas sólidas para o avanço da pesquisa sobre o tema. / The transformations promoted by technological innovations within traditional sectors of the economy offer significant breakthrough for modern society. However, much of the implemented technological projects unleash new levels of productivity that generate a legion of excluded people that fails to return to the formal economy in occupations that require a more sophisticated level of training. Thus, arises the challenge to develop new models of development in order to equalize the impacts regarding much of the technological innovations in the traditional sectors of the economy from a governance approach on social technologies associated with sustainability. Therefore, this work aimed to answer the question: how governance in social technologies can be linked to sustainability in order to constitute a new approach that can serve as a reference and also help to reverse the situation of the population exposed to social and economic risk? The purpose of this research aimed at the development of a governance approach to social technologies, considering the multilevel perspective, in order to make more effective the process of including a legion of people that lacks new opportunities within a technological scenario of social order, in which can develop regional, existing or new, vocations, and social technologies to establish a new paradigm associated to sustainability involving vulnerable economies. To achieve this goal, two steps have been proposed involving secondary and primary data. The first was to perform a qualitative, exploratory research, from an initial theoretical background involving concepts from the perspective of governance, sustainability, and the impact from the adoption of governance in social technologies. Thus, semi-structured interviews were conducted with two groups: i) institutions working with governance in social technologies and ii) institutions formulating public policies in social technologies. This step sought to analyze initiatives and models developed in Brazil, under the governance focus on social technologies, in order to identify the factors that positively influence regional projects, the factors that interfere in the progress of projects and proposals for action at the national level aimed at developing social technologies that generate sustainable impacts in the spheres of social, economic and technological developments. The second step consisted in the analysis of the results obtained from the exploratory research in order to organize them to propose the governance approach to social technologies. This approach followed the concepts in governance to develop better public policies and strategies, playing an important role in improving the quality of life of vulnerable populations. The governance perspective for building models which can foster social technologies is a new, relevant, challenging proposal, offering many opportunities for social inclusion and making it present as an essential advantage for the successful identification of solid proposals for the research advance on the subject.

As transformações promovidas por inovações tecnológicas no âmbito dos setores tradicionais da economia oferecem significativo avanço para a sociedade moderna. No entanto, boa parte dos projetos tecnológicos implementados desencadeiam novos níveis de produtividade que acabam por gerar uma legião de excluídos, por não conseguir incluir-se novamente na economia formal em ocupações que demandam nível de capacitação mais sofisticado. Assim, surge o desafio de elaborar novos modelos de desenvolvimento a fim de equalizar os efeitos de boa parte das inovações tecnológicas dos setores tradicionais da economia a partir de um enfoque de governança em tecnologias sociais associado à sustentabilidade. Portanto, esta dissertação buscou responder a seguinte questão: como a governança em tecnologias sociais pode ser associada à sustentabilidade a fim de constituir uma nova abordagem que possa servir de referência e também contribuir para reverter o quadro de populações em situação de risco social e econômico? A proposta desta pesquisa objetivou a elaboração de uma abordagem de governança em tecnologias sociais, considerando a perspectiva multinível, no sentido de tornar mais eficaz o processo de incluir uma legião de pessoas que carece de novas oportunidades dentro de um cenário tecnológico de ordem social, no qual possam desenvolver vocações regionais, existentes ou novas, e tecnologias sociais para estabelecer um novo paradigma ligado à sustentabilidade envolvendo economias vulneráveis. Para atingir esse objetivo, foram propostas duas etapas, envolvendo dados secundários e dados primários. A primeira foi a realização de uma pesquisa exploratória, de natureza qualitativa, a partir de um referencial teórico inicial envolvendo conceitos sob a ótica da governança, da sustentabilidade e dos impactos a partir da adoção de governança em tecnologias sociais. Assim, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com dois grupos: i) instituições que atuam com governança em tecnologias sociais e ii) instituições que formulam políticas públicas em tecnologias sociais. Essa etapa teve a finalidade de analisar iniciativas e modelos desenvolvidos no Brasil sob o enfoque de governança em tecnologias sociais, a fim de identificar os fatores que influenciam positivamente projetos regionais, os fatores que impedem o avanço de projetos e propostas para ações no âmbito nacional voltadas ao desenvolvimento de tecnologias sociais que gerem impactos sustentáveis nas esferas do desenvolvimento social, econômico e tecnológico. A segunda etapa consistiu na análise dos resultados obtidos na pesquisa exploratória, a fim de organizá-los para propor a abordagem de governança em tecnologias sociais. Essa sistemática observou os conceitos presentes na governança para o desenvolvimento de melhores políticas e estratégias públicas, desempenhando importante papel para a melhoria da qualidade de vida de populações vulneráveis. A perspectiva de governança para a construção de modelos que permitam o avanço de tecnologias sociais é uma proposta nova, relevante, desafiadora, que oferece muitas oportunidades para inclusão social e se faz presente como um diferencial imprescindível para o sucesso da identificação de propostas sólidas para o avanço da pesquisa sobre o tema. / The transformations promoted by technological innovations within traditional sectors of the economy offer significant breakthrough for modern society. However, much of the implemented technological projects unleash new levels of productivity that generate a legion of excluded people that fails to return to the formal economy in occupations that require a more sophisticated level of training. Thus, arises the challenge to develop new models of development in order to equalize the impacts regarding much of the technological innovations in the traditional sectors of the economy from a governance approach on social technologies associated with sustainability. Therefore, this work aimed to answer the question: how governance in social technologies can be linked to sustainability in order to constitute a new approach that can serve as a reference and also help to reverse the situation of the population exposed to social and economic risk? The purpose of this research aimed at the development of a governance approach to social technologies, considering the multilevel perspective, in order to make more effective the process of including a legion of people that lacks new opportunities within a technological scenario of social order, in which can develop regional, existing or new, vocations, and social technologies to establish a new paradigm associated to sustainability involving vulnerable economies. To achieve this goal, two steps have been proposed involving secondary and primary data. The first was to perform a qualitative, exploratory research, from an initial theoretical background involving concepts from the perspective of governance, sustainability, and the impact from the adoption of governance in social technologies. Thus, semi-structured interviews were conducted with two groups: i) institutions working with governance in social technologies and ii) institutions formulating public policies in social technologies. This step sought to analyze initiatives and models developed in Brazil, under the governance focus on social technologies, in order to identify the factors that positively influence regional projects, the factors that interfere in the progress of projects and proposals for action at the national level aimed at developing social technologies that generate sustainable impacts in the spheres of social, economic and technological developments. The second step consisted in the analysis of the results obtained from the exploratory research in order to organize them to propose the governance approach to social technologies. This approach followed the concepts in governance to develop better public policies and strategies, playing an important role in improving the quality of life of vulnerable populations. The governance perspective for building models which can foster social technologies is a new, relevant, challenging proposal, offering many opportunities for social inclusion and making it present as an essential advantage for the successful identification of solid proposals for the research advance on the subject.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2017-07-26T12:20:40Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) DISSERTAÇÃO (2016.04.28) - CARLOS EDUARDO DE SOUSA GALVÃO.pdf: 1448322 bytes, checksum: 8bd0ff9b9626ff7b3e02f7d3b1587375 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-26T12:20:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) DISSERTAÇÃO (2016.04.28) - CARLOS EDUARDO DE SOUSA GALVÃO.pdf: 1448322 bytes, checksum: 8bd0ff9b9626ff7b3e02f7d3b1587375 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-28 / O não atendimento das crescentes demandas sociais, por parte do Governo ou do mercado de forma isolada, tem proporcionado a geração de novas relações sociais entre os setores organizacionais e a sociedade, reconhecendo que apenas com a participação social de todos os problemas sociais poderão ser minimizados. Dentro deste contexto, emergem as inovações sociais como alternativa à resolução dos problemas e melhoria da qualidade de vida nas comunidades. Embora o processo seja uma das dimensões menos estudadas dentro da temática inovação social, existem modelos que a contemplem, inclusive a relacionando à dimensão atores. Contudo, o protagonismo dos atores no processo de inovação ainda se mostra um campo a ser aprofundado, sobretudo em regiões de baixo índice de desenvolvimento, sendo esse o objetivo desta dissertação. Para isso, a partir do referencial teórico utilizado como norteador, foram criadas categorias de análise que permitem compreender o processo de inovação social, com foco no papel desempenhado pelos atores da inovação social, e os fatores que a influenciam. O caso selecionado para estudo foi o projeto Jovens Radialistas do Semiárido, localizado no município de Picos (PI), que promove a inclusão dos jovens na sociedade, por meio da educação profissionalizante. Os dados primários da pesquisa foram coletados por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas e observação não participante. Já os dados secundários foram coletados por meio da pesquisa documental e sites, permitindo a triangulação de dados. Foi utilizada no tratamento dos dados a Análise de Conteúdo (Bardin, 2011). A análise dos resultados permitiu identificar os papéis desempenhados pelos atores em todas as fases do processo, possibilitando a compreensão do protagonismo no processo de inovação social. / Failure to meet the growing social demands by the government or from isolation market has enabled the generation of new social relations between organizational sectors and society, recognizing that only the social participation of all social problems can be minimized. In this context, emerging social innovation as an alternative to solving problems and improving the life quality in communities. Although the process is one dimension less studied within the thematic social innovation, there are models that contemplate, including relating it to the actor’s dimension. However, the role of the actors in the innovation process still shows a field to be thorough, especially in low development index regions, which is the aim of this dissertation. For this, from the theoretical background as a guide, categories were created that allow to understand the process of social innovation, focusing on the role played by actors, and the factors that influence. The case selected for study was the Young Broadcasters of the Semiarid Region project, located in the city of Picos (PI), which promotes the inclusion of young people in society through vocational education. The primary research data were collected through semi-structured interviews and participant observation. As for the secondary data were collected through the analysis of documents and sites, enabling data triangulation. It was used in the processing of the data content analysis (Bardin, 2011). The analysis identified the roles played by actors at all the process stages, enabling the understanding of the role of the social innovation process.

This thesis focuses on analyzing social innovations like governance and with a democracy perspective. What the process in social innovation looked like and to what extend are they democratic. To fulfill the purpose of the study, two cases of social innovation have been selected.  The theoretical framework of the study is based on governance and democratic theory with focus on a democratic process. The method of the study is qualitative with focus on two interviews. To complement the interviews, written documents from the two social innovation studies have been used. The material has been analyzed based on the main mechanisms of governance and the criteria of a democratic process. The study shows that social innovations carries governance control and that the democratic quality in both cases have been weak. Thoughts and questions about democracy were only brought to light after the result were finalized. This because the main purpose of the social innovations seems to be social benefits and therefore the democracy perspective was left out.

The development mode of social enterprise in China has clear policy-driven characteristics. As an important social innovation center in China, Chengdu has formed a new type of social governance model under the support and guidance of its government policies since 2018, and social enterprises have played an essential role therein. Under the theoretic framework of social acceleration theory, this research aims to develop a better understanding of the inherent contradictions in the social enterprise ecosystem through the fieldwork and in-depth interviews with multiple stakeholders, and further analyze the tension-filled process of contemporary China’s people-oriented subjectivity construction. / 博士(グローバル社会研究) / Doctor of Philosophy in Global Society Studies / 同志社大学 / Doshisha University