Place-based social innovation ecosystems: components, emergence and the challenge of strategic orchestration

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the components and emergence of place-based social innovation ecosystems, highlighting them as promising configurations for tackling complex societal challenges at the local level. Design/methodology/approach – The study draws on a three-year, multi-university research project conducted in Italy. For the purposes of this paper, the empirical analysis relies on a desk analysis of 67 crowdsourced case studies and one focus group with practitioners. Adopting an abductive, qualitative approach, the research develops a conceptual model to understand the key components of place-based social innovation ecosystems. Findings – The study identifies four key components of place-based social innovation ecosystems – entrepreneurial solutions, local public administration support, social impact measurement and impact finance – and finds that place-based social innovation ecosystems typically feature multiple components working in combination, with at least two of the four components present in observed cases. Originality/value – This paper contributes a novel framework for understanding the components and emergence of place-based social innovation ecosystems, which complements existing frameworks such as mission-oriented innovation, civic wealth creation and collective impact.