Social Innovation in Rural Regions: Older Adults and Creative Community Development*

Abstract

Many so‐called structurally disadvantaged rural regions are characterized by an ongoing demographic change, low economic productivity, and an insufficient infrastructure. Paradoxically, citizens of such regions are often urged to address local challenges by developing innovative ideas, products, or services. Innovation is becoming a “message of salvation” and imperative to local action due to a rise of an innovation regime that conceptualizes innovation as reflexive and ubiquitous. Unlike cities, however, disadvantaged rural regions are often seen as not conducive to innovation. And older adults are rarely ever regarded as potential innovators. This article will examine how innovations emerge in disadvantaged rural regions and what role older adults play in this context. It focuses on social innovation which is important for processes of rural renewal. Drawing on insights gained through the “Innovation in Rural Municipalities” research project, the paper illustrates the resourcefulness of older adults in the context of socially innovative community development. Older adults can in fact act as drivers of innovative projects, actively participate in and make use of social innovations. Their specific role, however, depends on their personal motives, community‐related interests, and available resources.

Social innovation in extreme institutional contexts: the case of Palestine

“…SI has drawn interest in various disciplines such as economics (Pol & Ville, 2009), management and organizational theories (de Bakker et al, 2015;Nilsson, Bonnici, & Griffin-El, 2015), rural sociology (Noack & Federwisch, 2020), geography (Moulaert, Maccallum, Mehmood, & Hamdouch, 2014) and psychology (Fairweather, 1967). Given the disciplinary and epistemological diversity that stirs academic conversations on SI, the variety of definitions and perspectives of SI is not surprising (Westley, Antadze, Riddell, Robinson, & Geobey, 2014).…”

“…, 2015; Nilsson et al. , 2015), rural sociology (Noack and Federwisch, 2020), geography (Moulaert et al. , 2014) and psychology (Fairweather, 1967).…”

Knowledge and Technology Transfer under Digital Conditions: Transfer Intermediaries in Eastern Germany and the Role of Digital Means, Trust and Face-to-Face Interactions

“…The methodology of focused ethnography (Knoblauch 2005) was used to examine the unfolding process of the transfer scouts' occupational experience during the course of their work activities, starting in 2018, and including the beginning of the corona pandemic in Germany since March 2020. Focused ethnography goes beyond the time-intensive method of participant observation as undertaken by representatives of "conventional ethnography" (Malinowski 1922), but is temporally limited and concentrated on a comprehensive (not holistic) process-oriented exploration (Noack and Federwisch 2020). "In addition, the lack of intensity of subjective experience in conventional ethnography is compensated for by the large amount of data and the intensity and scrutiny of data analysis" (Knoblauch 2005).…”

Digitalization and Social Innovation in Rural Areas: A Case Study from Indonesia*

“…Although rural transformation has been very dynamic, rural areas in the Global South have long been typified by persistent problems, such as poverty, vulnerability, landlessness, and limited access to resources and facilities (Rigg 2020; Trivelli and Berdegué 2019). Rural communities must therefore innovate to come up with better solutions to such challenges (Bock 2012; Bosworth et al 2016; Noack and Federwisch 2020). In this regard, social innovation is seen as one of the means by which rural communities collectively cope with challenges (see Martens, Wolff, and Hanisch 2020; Neumeier 2012; Noack and Federwisch 2020).…”

“…Rural communities must therefore innovate to come up with better solutions to such challenges (Bock 2012; Bosworth et al 2016; Noack and Federwisch 2020). In this regard, social innovation is seen as one of the means by which rural communities collectively cope with challenges (see Martens, Wolff, and Hanisch 2020; Neumeier 2012; Noack and Federwisch 2020).…”