The production of social innovations in the light of the model of creative ecology[La production des innovations sociales : une analyse par le modèle de l’écologie créative]

The concept of social innovation has gained significant traction over the past few years. Academic work is mostly focused on defining and delineating the concept and on grasping its socio-economic importance. The issue of the collective creative processes associated with its production has therefore been overlooked. We will address this theoretical gap through recourse to the model of creative ecology. By highlighting the coexistence of different economic strata, (upper-, middle-, underground), this model allows us to argue that social innovation may be produced through two complementary logics. Social innovations produced through a top-down logic originate in the upperground. They benefit from a high diffusion potential. However, their social outcome may be limited, due to the fact that they are subject to a trade-off between social impact and economic viability. On the other hand, social innovations produced through a bottom-up logic stem from the underground. As they are coproduced with beneficiaries, they are most able to address their specific social needs, but may be difficult to scale up. This is why both logics can be at work simultaneously, which, in turn, raises governance issues. We will argue that social economy organizations contribute to solving these issues, as they act as innovation intermediaries.