The number of people that are categorized as being homeless in the Swedish society are increasing. This might be an indication that the methods being used today shows not to be working efficient enough. A group of researchers connected to the University of Lund are now in a process to spread new workingmethods against the problems with homelessness in Sweden. Their goal is to completely erase homelessness as a social problem. This new method of working is distinctively different from the one currently beeing used. The main idea is that a person is to be given a place to live before any other efforts and treatments are being given to them. Because of the differences between the models there is a need of inspiering and committed people with knowledge about issues avolving homeless people and the problems that comes with being homeless. In this essay we have chosen to focus on these inspiering people and what their drive to spread social inventions might evolve in. Often there is a strong case of following the path of the work that has always been used wich is familiar. This often leads to a struggle for the policyentrepreneurs in which they have to persuade the public to try a new solution to the problem. The personal connections an entrepreneur has plays an important part in the process of spreading the word about a new policy. Preservation and a set mind is required of an entrepreneur.

Som en del i det moderna hållbarhetstänket spelar social hållbarhet en viktig roll. Ett uppenbart hinder för en social hållbar utveckling är arbetslöshet. Arbetslöshet leder ofta till utanförskap, vilket i sig skapar ett segregerat, ohållbart samhälle. Följande studie undersöker hur företag och privata organisationer kan verka för att minska utanförskap orsakad av arbetslöshet. Genom sociala innovationer motiveras sökandet av metoder för att minska arbetslösheten och på så sätt minska det sociala utanförskapet.Studien använder sig av teorier kopplade till social hållbarhet i allmänhet och sociala innovationer, arbetslöshet och utanförskap i synnerhet. Teoriavsnittet ger en inblick i problematiken kring arbetslöshet, mekanismer bakom problemet samt kunskap om potentiella åtgärder. Studien är uppdelad i två olika delar. Den första delen är av traditionell uppsatskaraktär där olika sociala innovationer i syfte att minska arbetslösheten jämförs, analyseras och diskuteras. Den andra delen, som grundar sig på denna analys, är ett konkret pilotprojekt som tagits fram med en större konsultfirma för att försöka hitta former för framtida applicering av sociala innovationer i företagets löpande arbete.Studien är av kvalitativ natur där det empiriska materialet grundar sig på intervjuer medrepresentanter från relevanta företag och organisationer. Intervjuerna har bearbetats och analyserat med hjälp av de valda teorierna. Som komplement har ytterligare empiriskt material i form av litteratur, rapporter och vetenskapliga artiklar bearbetats och analyserats. Resultatet av studien visar hur sociala innovationer på olika sätt kan motarbeta arbetslöshet, på såväl lokal som nationell nivå. Det går att identifiera såväl likheter som skillnader mellan de olika företagens/organisationernas strategier. En stor problematik tycks vara ovetskapen om varandra. Pilotprojektet grundar sig därför på en kunskapsworkshop, där aktörer kan dela med sig av sina kunskaper för att på så sätt underlätta för varandra. / As a part of our modern sustainability approach, social sustainability has played an important role. An obvious obstacle to overcome in the search for a social sustainable development isunemployment. Unemployment may lead to social exclusion, which creates a segregated andunsustainable society. The following paper investigates how companies and private organisations can work in order to reduce the social exclusion caused by unemployment. Through social innovations, the search for methods to reduce unemployment and hence social exclusion, can be motivated.The paper uses theories connected to social sustainability in general and social innovations,unemployment and social exclusion in particular. The theoretical chapter sheds light on theproblems related to unemployment, mechanisms behind the problem and knowledge about potential counter actions. The paper is divided into two different parts. The first part is a traditional essay in which different social innovations with the common goal to reduce unemployment is compared, analyzed and discussed. The second part, which is based on this analysis, is a suggestion for a future project together with a larger consulting firm, to search for new methods for future applications of social innovations in the firm’s ongoing work.The paper uses a qualitative approach, the empirical material is based on conducted interviews with key persons from relevant companies and organisations. The interviews have been processed and analyzed along with our chosen theories. As a complement, additional empirical material in terms of literature, various reports and scientific articles have been processed and analyzed.The result of the paper indicates how social innovations, on both local and national level, can work against unemployment. Both similarities and differences are identified between thecompanies/organisations strategies. A problematic factor seems to be that thecompanies/organisations are unaware of each other. Our project therefore suggests a workshopwhere relevant actors can exchange knowledge in order to help each other.