Transformative Social Innovation in Latin America

Interdependence, Co-creation, and Democratization of the Change Agenda

Abstract

This article seeks to analyze how social innovation in Latin America has evolved as our societal problems have changed in nature, depth, and scale. Today, social innovation in Latin America reflects the current social territorial transformation at the local level. As a response to the climate emergency and the political, economic, humanitarian, and health crisis, the region has made progress in articulating its innovation ecosystem and equipping actors with the essential knowledge to create a common understanding of our problems. Despite that, the challenge of making significant inroads in addressing the region’s pressing socio-environmental problems is greater. In the coming years, the acceleration of our understanding of the processes and impact we generate will be more crucial than ever before.

On the one hand, this article offers a historical analysis of social innovation in the region and of its ecosystem of actors. On the other hand, it analyzes several recent experiences that illustrate three core principles that are emerging in response to the socio-environmental crisis.  These core principles include interdependence, co-creation, and democratization of the change agenda. The analysis contributes to a theoretical-practical reflection in the current global context and points to a paradigm shift in social innovation. This, in turn, gives us a new perspective through which we can analyze future changes and proposals that are emerging from local innovation ecosystems towards creating a sustainable future for the region.