Social innovation and sustainability; how to disentangle the buzzword and its application in the field of agriculture and rural development

B.B. Bock · 2012 · Studies in Agricultural Economics

Summary. Social innovation is widely cited as crucial to agricultural and rural development, yet its meaning remains unclear. This paper identifies three main interpretations: innovation's social mechanisms, innovation's social responsibility, and society's need for innovation. The concept appears more relevant to rural development than agriculture alone, particularly regarding sustainable production, collaboration, and social renewal. However, social innovation is often presented as a vague bundle of processes and outcomes, which weakens its critical potential. The paper argues for clearer definition to better support and monitor social innovation's actual contribution to social change.

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@article{bock-2012-social-innovation-sustainability-how-disentangle,
  title   = {Social innovation and sustainability; how to disentangle the buzzword and its application in the field of agriculture and rural development},
  author  = {B.B. Bock},
  journal = {Studies in Agricultural Economics},
  year    = {2012},
  doi     = {10.7896/j.1209},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.7896/j.1209}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Social innovation and sustainability; how to disentangle the buzzword and its application in the field of agriculture and rural development
AU  - B.B. Bock
JO  - Studies in Agricultural Economics
PY  - 2012
DO  - 10.7896/j.1209
UR  - https://doi.org/10.7896/j.1209
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.7896/j.1209

Categories

innovation-theory, food-systems, climate-and-environment

Added

2026-04-28