Knut-Erland Berglund EMPOWERMENT WITHIN
(SOCIAL) INNOVATION
Empowermentwithin(social)innovation
To Nina andArthur
Knut-ErlandBerglund
EMPOWERMENT WITHIN (SOCIAL) INNOVATION
HOW INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURIALACTIVITYCAN
ENSURE EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY
©2025Knut-ErlandBerglund
Korrekturläsning: Nina Zebergs& Knut-ErlandBerglund
Förlag:BoD ·Books on Demand,Östermalmstorg1,114 42 Stockholm, Sverige, bod@bod.se
Tryck: LibriPlureos GmbH,Friedensallee 273, 22763 Hamburg, Tyskland
ISBN:978-91-8080-876-7
Summary
Innovationsarise in acontext andare thereforecharacterized by normsand values.Researchshows that marketsfavourtechnical productinnovations in male-dominated companiesand industries. To encouragea more equalsituation,various initiatives, organizationsand networks have been created, wheremethods have been developedtoenablethe developmentofinnovation amongthose actors,industriesand sectorsstepmotherlytreated in thefield of innovation.Thisistochangethe underlyingsystemof normsand create greaterprosperitythrough innovations.
Drawingonideas of empowermentwithinsocialinnovation,this studyexamineshow organizationshavedeveloped innovative goods, services,methods,organizationalforms,and social structures.The overallaim is to create understanding of innovation as away of workingtochangethe economyand societies.
Theresults show that theorganizations studiedhaveidentified several societalchallenges andneedsof underrepresentedgroups in workinglife, business andregionaldevelopment.Theystrivefor improvementsforindividuals,organizations andsociety that increase gender equalityinthe aforementioned areas. They have developedseveral innovative solutions forincreased gender equalityinthese areas. Theiractivitiescan thus be used as a starting pointfor defining theperspective of empowermentwithin social innovation as thedevelopment of newgoods, services, methodsand ways of organizing that aresocialinthe sensethat they identify andchangehierarchicalpatternsinorganizations and society. Basedona rhetorical analysis,the social innovation strategies have been presentedand combined with previous research.The study'schoiceofmethodresultedina transferability potential, that ideasand perspectivecan be used in othercontexts duetoa senseofnuance.
Preface
Sincethe 2000s, Ihavebeen interested in issuesand topics related to social andpolitical economy. It is abouteconomics butalsoabout therelationships that permeate differentorganizations,markets and societies. Iwantedtoshowwhatunderlyingstructuresand what institutions or normsand values permeate amarketeconomy.
Istudied thesituation of Dalitsinthe useofmicrocredit in the HyderabadareaofIndia.Itturnedout that throughvarious interventionsfrommicrofinance, womencould gain greater empowermenttoparticipate in localpoliticsand gain greater freedom of action within thefamily andextendedfamily. My interest in political economyled me to laterwrite alicentiatethesis(2013) on thesustainability andsocialresponsibilityoflarge Swedish companies. CorporateSocialResponsibility(CSR) wascurrent and fashionableduringthe same period.Atfirst,CSR wassomewhat stepmotherly cherishedbecause variousorganizations and institutions considered it to be solely an Anglo-Saxonnorm phenomenon.However,studies andmylatestbook showed that thereare previous examples of corporatesocialresponsibilityalsoin Sweden andScandinavia.
Acontinuationofmyinterestinsocialand political economyled me to social innovation.Duringthe years2013–2015,I waspartofa research projectatLuleå University of Technology that studiedthe topicofthisbook,namelywhathappens at theintersectionofsocial innovation andgenderand equalityissues. This research projectand theinsightsI gained there, resulted in this book.
This book examines theunderlyingnorms regardingthe area of innovation.Whatare thestructuresfor innovation andwhatinclusive strategies canbeusedtoget more womenentrepreneurs noticed? Social innovation is relatedtoother concepts andphenomena within social sustainabledevelopment,suchasCSR andempowerment.I made otherpublications within theproject together with researchers
andwiththisbook Itry to give my perspectiveonthe project throughanempowerment approach.
UppsalaMay 2025
Knut-ErlandBerglund
LicentiateofPhilosophyinEconomicHistory,
Master ofPhilosophyinEconomicHistory, Bachelor ofPhilosophyinGeography
Empowerment within(Social)Innovation: HowInnovativeentrepreneurialactivity can
ensureequality of opportunity
Empowerment within(social) innovation draws on practicalexperience that shows howinnovationcan enable individuals, groupsand organisations at everylevel of societytoengagemoreeffectively with the market. Because innovation is imbued with prevailingnormsand institutions, those normscan be reshapedbyaddressing them directly.Anempowermentperspective within socialinnovationmay therefore produce morefar-reachinginnovation.
