SOCIAL INNOVATOR SERIES: WAYS TO DESIGN, DEVELOP AND GROW SOCIAL INNOVATION

DANGER AND OPPORTUNITY
CRISIS AND THE NEW SOCIAL ECONOMY
Robin Murray

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This essay was written while the author was a Visiting Fellow at NESTA and forms part of a series of publications on methods of social innovation led by the Young Foundation with the support of NESTA. I would like to thank NESTA for their support, and in particular Dr Michael Harris, as well as my colleagues at the Young Foundation, Julie Caulier-Grice and Geoff Mulgan, all of whom have given valuable comments on the text.

Published September 2009

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CONTENTS
1. The argument 2 5 9 23 39
52 54 55

2. The context of crisis

3. The emerging economic landscape

4. Can the new social economy respond? 5. Social innovation and the crisis of policy
Bibliography Weblinks Endnotes

2 DANGER AND OPPORTUNITY CRISIS AND THE NEW SOCIAL ECONOMY

1 THE ARGUMENT

The rise of the new social economy
This pamphlet argues that the early years of the 21st century are witnessing the emergence of a new kind of economy that has profound implications for the future of public services as well as for the daily life of citizens. This emerging economy can be seen in many fields, including the environment, care, education, welfare, food and energy. It combines some old elements and many new ones. I describe it as a ‘social economy’ because it melds features which are very different from economies based on the production and consumption of commodities. Its key features include: • The intensive use of distributed networks to sustain and manage relationships, helped by broadband, mobile and other means of communication. Blurred boundaries between production and consumption. An emphasis on collaboration and on repeated interactions, care and