Academic Social Innovation Centers: A Proposed Framework for a Theory of Change

Authors

  • Rita Golstein-Galperin Co-Director of Kayama Center for Social Innovation, University of Haifa and Head of Public Sector Reforms Program at the Israel Democracy Institute - Israel. Corresponding Author: rita.golstein@gmail.com
  • Stav Bar-Shany Social Innovation Consultant and Co-Founder of Kayama Center for Social Innovation University of Haifa - Israel
  • Maayan Agmon Co-Founder and Co-Director of Kayama Center for Social Innovation, University of Haifa and Head of Research Lab on postural changes through aging at the faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa - Israel

Keywords:

Social innovation centers, Impact education, Academic impact centers, ASI Framework

Abstract

Academia is poised to play a role in individuals’ intellectual advancement and in addressing the broader goals of advancing sustainable development, equality, human rights, and poverty reduction while tackling social challenges. To this end, many universities worldwide have established “impact centers” or “social innovation centers.” Although the centers share similar names, there is no uniformity among them in their agenda, strategy, and practice. This diversity limits our ability to understand the unique contribution of Academic Social Innovation (ASI) centers to research and practice on tackling social problems. To fill this gap, this paper has three objectives: 1) to describe the state of the art of existing ASIs, 2) to examine diverse and shared characteristics of the centers, and 3) to frame guiding principles that will support the refinement of the theory of change of ASIs. Based on our findings, we compiled a typology consisting of 3*3 themes, the Academic Social Innovation Framework (ASI Framework). It consists of three main themes: actors, structure, and the main objective. Each theme is then divided into three sub-themes, serving as assessment criteria illustrating the tensions that characterize the diverse centers. The ASI Framework can help existing and emerging academic centers define, assess, and refine their theory of change for social innovation.

Author Biographies

Rita Golstein-Galperin, Co-Director of Kayama Center for Social Innovation, University of Haifa and Head of Public Sector Reforms Program at the Israel Democracy Institute - Israel. Corresponding Author: rita.golstein@gmail.com

Rita Golstein-Galperin is the Co-Director of  Kayama Center for Social Innovation at the University of Haifa in Israel. She is a senior practitioner, focusing on public policy and innovation for systemic change. She is also the Head of Public Sector Reforms Program at the Israel Democracy Institute, a leading think-and-do tank.

Corresponding Author: rita.golstein@gmail.com

Stav Bar-Shany, Social Innovation Consultant and Co-Founder of Kayama Center for Social Innovation University of Haifa - Israel

Stav Bar-Shany is a social innovation and impact consultant and lecturer for social innovation in Israel and around the world. She is the Co-Founder of Kayama Center for Social Innovation University of Haifa in Israel.

Maayan Agmon, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Kayama Center for Social Innovation, University of Haifa and Head of Research Lab on postural changes through aging at the faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa - Israel

Maayan Agmon is a Professor at Haifa University. She is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of  Kayama Center for Social Innovation. She is also the Head of Research Lab on postural changes through aging, at the faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa. Maayan leads various social ventures on the interface between academia and the community.

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Published

2023-12-19

How to Cite

Golstein-Galperin, R., Bar-Shany, S., & Agmon, M. (2023). Academic Social Innovation Centers: A Proposed Framework for a Theory of Change. Social Innovations Journal, 22. Retrieved from https://socialinnovationsjournal.com/index.php/sij/article/view/6979

Issue

Vol. 22 (2023): Transformative Partnerships: Proceedings of Transformations Conference '23

Section

Transdisciplinary Collaborative Design

Categories

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Copyright (c) 2023 Rita Golstein-Galperin, Stav Bar-Shany, Maayan Agmon (Author)

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