Enzo Mingione, University of Milan-Bicocca. Social innovation facing the challenges of globalization: tensions and illusions. 4ème COLLOQUE INTERNATIONAL DU CRISES La transformation sociale par l’innovation sociale Les 3 et 4 avril 2014 / April 3 and 4, 2014 Université du Québec à Montréal 1.An interpretation frame centred on the double movement: commodification versus the destruction and reconstruction of social bonds. 2.Social innovation as a response to change in industrialized societies after welfare capitalism institutional assets. 3.Social innovation versus increasing social inequalities.

Methodological frame of analysis based on the double movement: the process of destruction and reconstruction of social bonds and social relations. Long and short term path-dependency features used in adaptation Social institutions transformations and persistence Impact of the marketization wave at particular points in history The 3 areas of institution building: Reciprocity Redistribution Market cooperation Great regime transformations versus Continuous more or less important adaptations

The main points of the double movement interpretation 1.Give the priority to the understanding of the dynamic aspects over the diversity of capitalism. 2.Commodification as a process that dismantle the traditional social bonds (disembedding). From this point of view it is a powerful form of emancipation from traditional social bonds and forms of oppression (alternative interpretation in respect to the triple movement suggested by Nancy Fraser). 3.The process of reconstructing social bonds – riembedding and social innovation also – is important in order to explain social change and behaviour in terms of agency. 4.The institutional building is creating new forms of domination: the political and bureaucratic traps (Weber) are particularly evident now. 5.Innovative agencies are in the middle of tensions created by globalized commodification and the oppression of the political/ bureaucratic trap.

Consumersism Unequal exchange Monopolistic control of technologies High growth rate National welfare state Pensions, health, education Hegemonic nation state control over economy Standardized citizenship rights Stable omogeneous nuclear families as redistribution institutions High gender divisions Specialized housewives Home caring specialization High class divisions Working class representation Employment stability: Breadwinners Vertical integration Large corporations The institutional balances of the Golden Age of welfare capitalism Area of redistribution - state Area of market cooperation Area of Reciprocity family

Area of redistribution: state and politics Area of market institutions cooperation logics Area of reciprocity family, kinship, community Crisis of welfare capitalism: social inequalities and weakening of social rights New international division of labour Marketization wave based on global, information, knoweldge Fiscal and legitimation difficulties of the nation state. Welfare reforms. Liberalization of services. Declining national standards/Governance The bureaucratic trap. Vertical disintegration of firms Global industrial relocation Cost of row materials out of control Second industrial divide / tertiarization Informational and knowledge divide Eterogeneity and instability of employment = end of breadwinner New transnational migrants Second demografic transition: Longevity versus decreasing birth and marriage Decreasing importance of nuclear families Mismatch between informal demand and supply of care Eterogeneity and instability of households and life-cycles Horizontal subsidiarity and increasing importance of third sector at local scale

The double movement challenges livelihood and welfare balances and social rights. Trends of change: Individualization Destandardization Instability Social inequalities Cuts in public expenses and privatization. The local level and social innovation initiatives become important.

The trends of change towards fragmented individualized societies Tendences 1.Individualization 2.Destandardization 3.Fragmentation of the welfare risks. 1.Innovations of welfare in order to produce more articulated and more efficient protections: local, active, social investments, second welfare. Empowering initiatives social innovation. 2.Decline of public reponsibility. Austerity, cuts in the public expenses and services, privatization, competition, new management. Increase in the social and territorial inequalities. Deficit in the social citizenship rights. Discriminations against week or less mobilized groups. Tensions between costs and cuts

The diversity of social innovation initiatives Alter the impact of commodification: Social responsibility of firms Direct relations between consumption and production Time banks and solidarity exchanges Social economies Empower disadvantaged unrepresented populations: Communication and information networks Representation and participation initiaves Community, cultural, art, expressions initiatives Urban restructuration and innovative smart cities

The conditions to make social innovation practices instruments to contrast social discrimination and exclusion. 1)Preserve and update a strong national and supra-national institutional regulatory framework oriented to ensure minimum levels of protection. 2) Effective and balanced redistribution of resources and responsibilities from central authorities towards local bodies and organizations. 3)Political determination to combat the discrimination of minorities and vulnerable groups mobilized at all levels. 4)Favour the diffusion of knowledge, professional capacities, solidarity, cooperation and open culture to accept diversity.

The impact of the crisis and the perspectives for the future The crisis make social innovation more necessary in order to extend support and protection to increasing numbers of disadvantaged populations. The cut of social expenditures and the austerity politics make social innovation more difficult to promote and support. Last resort solidarity initiatives increase the competition among the poor and disadvantaged for scarce resources. In order to promote positive perspectives social innovation should be accompanied by a strong political mobilization in favour of public responsibility against inequalities, discrimination, exclusion.