1. Fredrik Björk, Malmö University

2.  Active citizens
 The relationship between social
entrepreneurship, social innovation and
public participation?
 And with sustainable development?

3. The meaning of citizenship
 Two different historical traditions:
 Individual rights (status)
 Obligations to a community (practice)
 Participation as Citizen right –
antiquity, Greece, Rome
 Citizenship as obligation – reaction to
individualism in liberal political
discourse

4. Citizenship?
 Relation to democracy – governance
 Force of both inclusion and exclusion
 Relation to socially categories?
 How to become a citizen
 Q of state policy – also Q of identity

5. Human agency
 Citizenship as participation :
expression of agency in the political
arena
 Challenging the construction of people
as passive victims etc.
 To be a citizen – to act as a citizen
 Politics with a small ”p”

6. Challenges
 What is democracy?
 The inactive citizen
 Welfare provision by business –
influence as consumer, not citizen –
“marketization”

7. Importance of community
participation
 Impact on individuals as well as on the wider
community (Putnam)
 Social cohesion
 ”Social capital” – ”networks, norms and
trust”
 ”the capillaries of community life”

8.  Social innovation can also
be about being able to
take part in the community
 ”The capabilities
approach” (A. Sen)
 If social innovation and
social entrepreneurship is
about citizens taking on
the problems they face –
then it’s obviously about
governance

9.  Consultations
 Dialogue
 Face-to-face /
web (social media)
 Art/design
 ”The Open Book of Social
Innovation” (Young
Foundation 2010)
http://www.nesta.org.uk/library/documents/Social_Innovator_020310.pdf

10.  Motivation
 Expertise
 Creativity skills/ framework
This is valid for both social and commercial
innovation

11. Organization
Community
Citizen/individual

12.  Culture & climate supportive of creativity
and innovation
 A social environment
 Feedback

13.  Process-oriented organizational
structure
 Dynamic culture
 Risk taking
 Resource availability

14.  Bureaucracy “by the book”
 Status Quo culture
 Power struggles
 Conservative environment
 Communication problems
 Only negative feedback

15.  Early 20th century: FOR the citizens
 Late 20th century: WITH the citizens
 21st century: BY the citizens
 Why?
 Citizens get the solution they need
 Greater chance of sustainability