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Agency in Social Innovation: Putting the Model in the Model of the Agent

In: Social Innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Kirsten Robinson
  • David Robinson
  • Frances Westley

Abstract

Westley defined social innovation as ‘an initiative, product or process or program that profoundly changes the basic routines, resource and authority flows or beliefs of any social system and has durability and broad impact’ (Westley and Antadze, 2010, p. 2). Intentionally creating social innovations requires the kind of agents who can understand and actively change the rules and the structure of the system. These agents are, in the language of this chapter, ‘projective agents’ (Emirbaayer and Mische, 1998). They emphasize the orientation to the future, responsive choice, and inventive manipulation of the physical and social worlds. This chapter deals primarily with features of the projective agent that are useful in formally modelling social innovation as a process. Modelling is just one of several approaches to understanding, but it complements empirical and applied investigation (Macy and Willer, 2002).

Suggested Citation

  • Kirsten Robinson & David Robinson & Frances Westley, 2012. "Agency in Social Innovation: Putting the Model in the Model of the Agent," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Alex Nicholls & Alex Murdock (ed.), Social Innovation, chapter 6, pages 162-177, Palgrave Macmillan.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-36709-8_7
    DOI: 10.1057/9780230367098_7
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    Cited by:

    1. Bayuo, Blaise Booponoyeng & Chaminade, Cristina & Göransson, Bo, 2020. "Unpacking the role of universities in the emergence, development and impact of social innovations – A systematic review of the literature," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).

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