Strategies and Best Practices in Social Innovation ― An Institutional Perspective

This book examines the different ways companies can develop and design social innovation. Combining technological and social perspectives, the contributors present emerging research on social innovation from different sectors such as entrepreneurship, education and energy. Collectively, the authors demonstrate the ways in which social innovation can drive sustainability and development in regions around the world.

All societies are characterized by their political, economic and social institutions, as well as by how they utilize technology. The social innovations with the highest importance are those which modify existing institutions or create new ones, and based on their magnitude, they can be considered as radical or incremental. For example, when Joseph Chamberlain encouraged workers to organize in order to achieve universal male suffrage in Great Britain in 1885, this was a considered a radical innovation for British society, which in turn changed its political framework. Social innovations may be based on intelligence and commitment, on technology or on social entrepreneurship in its most open forms. In addition, social innovations can be classified into those which correspond to an entire country or region, a field (e.g., education) or a sector (e.g., entrepreneurship, technology, social reform).

Featuring contributions on topics such as agro-food, smart cities, higher education, gender equality and sports, this book is ideal for academics, students, scholars, professionals and policy makers in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability and regional development.

Marta Peris-Ortiz is Full Professor at Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. She received her PhD in Management from the University of Valencia in 2005.

Her current research is focused on the topics of entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability, corporate social responsibility and education innovation. She has published articles in journals such as Journal Business Research, Management Decision, Service Industries Journal, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Service Business, European Journal of International Management, Journal of International Change Management, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, International Journal of Manpower, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences and Non-Profit Management and Leadership among others, and is also a reviewer.

She has been Guest Editor of Management Decision, European Journal and International Management, Service Industries Journal, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Small Business Economics and Journal of Knowledge Economy, among others. She is Associate Editor and on the editorial board of several journals of relevant international prestige. She has been President in different International Conferences and she has been executive secretary of the International Network of Business and Management Journals for five years.

Marta Peris-Ortiz has been co-editor of more than 20 books published by Springer. Since 2014, she has been a member of the DEVA agency evaluator group, responsible for evaluating degrees and masters in Andalucia (Spain).

Jaime Alonso Gomez has worked for a wide variety of organizations, across five continents, as a consultant, researcher and executive education facilitator in the areas of strategy/innovation, leadership, family business, and executive talent development. Dr. Gomez has university degrees (Bachelors & Masters) from Mexico, Canada and Japan. He obtained his Ph.D. in Applied Economics and Managerial Science at The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.

As an international educator, Dr. Gomez has taught executives from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Far and Middle East and is a frequent speaker around the world. Dr. Gomez has worked for major multinational enterprises as well as for mid-size public and family-owned companies. Dr. Gomez has multiple publications in English and Spanish in the areas of global leadership, strategic management, organizational design/development, family business, and executive coaching/mentoring.

Dr. Gomez serves (and/or has served) as board member or editor of multiple organizations and journals around the world. In 2005, Dr. Gomez received the "Dean of the Year" Global Award from the prestigious Academy of International Business (AIB). In 2012, Dr. Gomez was nominated as one of the best business professors of the year by the UK magazine “The Economist”. Dr. Gomez was ranked #14 in the world.

Currently, Dr. Gomez is Dean of the University of San Diego School of Business and Professor of Management.

Patricia Marquez is Dean of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego, the first stand-alone school of peace and justice in the United States. The Kroc School prepares students from around the world—including countries affected by violent conflict—in peacebuilding, human rights, conflict resolution and social innovation. Since her arrival at USD in 2007, Dr. Marquez has developed the Center for Peace and Commerce (CPC), the Social Innovation Challenge and the USD Changemaker Hub. Previously, Dr. Marquez was a Professor and Dean at IESA, a School of Business in Caracas, Venezuela. Her research centers on the intersection of business and social value creation, with an emphasis on poverty alleviation through market mechanisms. In 2016, Dr. Marquez received the San Diego Business Journal Women Who Mean Business Award and has been given the San Diego Rotary Club Peacemaker of the Year award in both 2017 and 2018. 

Dr. Marquez has a BA from Bowdoin College, and received her MA and PhD in socio-cultural anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.