Growing social innovations – finding the key

Why do some innovations, like village-level microcredit, distance learning or street papers sold by the homeless, spread while others languish? In spite of much interest and considerable debate about how to scale up promising innovations, no one really knows. A research project by the UK-based Young Foundation on growing social innovations is an attempt to find an answer.

The project combines four elements: detailed case studies of organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous, Teach First and the Big Issue; a synthesis of the literature on growth, including insights from business studies, biology, economics and sociology; development of an analytic model; and a guide to help funders and innovators themselves.