Social innovation: initiatives related to youth employment

Achieving Impact‐ Socioeconomic Sciences & Humanities (SSH) in Horizon 2020 26 February 2014

Contents

Overview of the WILCO project Patterns of rising social exclusion and social vulnerability Initiatives to counter youth unemployment Implications for local welfare systems 2

Design of WILCO

International comparative project: 10 countries Time period: 2010-2014 Funded by the 7th European Framework Programme (2.4 million Euro grant) Coordinated by Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands 26/04/2020 3

Radboud University Nijmegen (Coordinating Institution ) Westfälische Wilhelms Unive rsität Münster Politecnico di Milan o Universit é de Genèv e University of Barcelo n a University of Zagreb Centre de Recherche et d’Information sur la Démocratie et l ’Autonom i e University of War s a w University of Ken t Ersta Sköndal University Coll e g e Justus-Liebig Universi t y EMES European Research Network European Research Services GmbH (ERS ) The Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPACEE)

Background

Strong social exclusion, perpetuated across generations and geographical areas Despite years of public programmes these wicked problems remain Social innovations as part of the solution 26/04/2020 5

Goals of the WILCO project

To identify innovative practices in European cities and the factors that make them emerge and spread To set them against the context of current social problems (incl. youth unemployment) and urban policies To make recommendations how to encourage local social innovation 6

Selected fields

Policy fields: 1. Child care 2. Housing 3. Employment Groups: young unemployed; single mothers; migrants 7

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Methods (1)

Historical-institutional analysis (literature review, 6 interviews per country) Charting patterns and dynamics of social inequality (esp. among young people, single mothers, migrants) (comparative statistical secondary analysis; descriptive profile of two cities in each country, city; in-depth analysis of specific target groups through 36 interviews p.c.) 8

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Methods (2)

Identification of core ideas driving innovation (discourse analysis through documentation, 36 interviews p.c., focus groups) Identification of innovative instruments and approaches; how they relate to discourses (literature review, 18 interviews p.c.) Comparative report 9

Patterns of social exclusion (1)

Research at time of great European crisis, but underlying structural dynamics Growth of existing social problems in urban areas, but also emerging difference in the nature of the problems Increasingly social vulnerability is becoming a problem, hitting groups that were previously more secure 10

Patterns of social exclusion (2)

Confluence of different dynamics: an increase in temporary employment, a lack of affordable housing, changing family relations and increasing migration within Europe. Similar problems in all types of cities, but local welfare systems cope with it in very different ways. Overall, a failure of existing institutions to cope with the scale and nature of the problem 11

Social innovations with regard to youth unemployment

• • • Several types of initiatives could be discerned, e.g.: Targeted, integrated training solutions Co-production schemes Ways to smooth out transitions in life phases Novelty often not so much In the type of approach as in the collaboration and flexibility during the implementation phase 12

Consequences for welfare systems

The reality of welfare is increasingly a local one, with a diminishing importance of national systems Local welfare increasingly a welfare mix, bringing together a broad range of actors, policies and local initiatives Cities should have the autonomy and capacity to generate innovative local solutions 13

More information

www.wilcoproject.eu

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