Abstract
The goal of this chapter is to contribute to the clarification of the concept of social innovation through an analytic deconstruction of its dimensions as well as through its application to the analysis of a concrete empirical case. The paper starts by outlining the history of the notion of “social innovation,” a multidimensional concept which is still under construction. The objective is to demonstrate the non-exclusive connection between this notion and the domains of technology and economic sociology, as well as the relevance of collective participation and the logic of social transformation underlying the recent reconfigurations of the notion. After establishing the idea that social innovation is not related solely to the sphere of economics or to a new attitude in the entrepreneurial sector, the chapter examines the social innovation initiatives promoted by a non-governmental organization (NGO) for development with headquarters in Cabo Verde and describes some of its social intervention projects. The NGO was founded in the period immediately following Cabo Verde’s independence and has always been strongly linked to the arts. These two factors should be regarded, in and of themselves, as proof of the existence of a strong will and desire to create dynamic transformations in the social fabric. Although the NGO operates on various islands of the Cabo Verde archipelago, the focus here is on the community project developed on the island of São Antão, which started in 1990 and is still ongoing.
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Notes
- 1.
The Welsh social reformist Robert Owen (1771–1858) is considered one of the most important utopian socialists and one of the founders of socialism and cooperativism. His social interventions started out as welfare activities, but later evolved into head-on critiques of capitalism, which sought to convince British and European governments of the need for broad reforms in the organization of society.
- 2.
In this regard, we can mention the Portugal Inovação Social initiative, launched in Portugal in December 2014 to funnel a significant portion of the European Structural Funds (2014–2020 Programme) towards the promotion of social innovation in Portugal; and the Innovation Union Initiative of the E.U. and its respective multifaceted Horizon 2020 Programme.
- 3.
Although the notion of social innovation is used in and is applicable to projects and activities within any of these sectors, it should be noted that it is currently gaining greater relevance in the literature about activities of the third sector, i.e., those promoted by non-profit institutions.
- 4.
Aside from its full NGO status, AM normally recognizes the central role played by Leão Lopes in its foundation. Leão Lopes is an artist, filmmaker, photographer, and Cabo Verdean writer who has also held political office as Minister of Culture and member of the Legislative Assembly.
- 5.
The boat connection between São Vicente and São Antão is ensured by four daily roundtrips, demonstrating the strong interdependence of the two islands.
- 6.
In 2008, Leão Lopes (2008) stated that 47% of families were headed by women and that families usually include between seven and eleven people. In 2016, the tendency was towards a reduction in the number of people per family due to a reduced birth rate. As for the continued high rate of female single-parent families, male emigration does not appear to be the only contributing factor. Another one may be a type of behavior which is reported as common among men on the islands, i.e., the fact that men often fail to assume their parental responsibilities, either fully or partially. This is a very delicate issue that could be the result of the perpetuation of a dominant idea in public opinion, but regarding which the author has no data other than it being an explanation frequently given by many women in the community and various AM members (both male and female).
- 7.
In fact, involvement in the community and the conception of the project had begun one or two years earlier. The full name of the project was “People’s involvement in the reduction of exclusion and the improvement of social protection: Lajedos Community Development.”
- 8.
The matter of the Lajedos cemetery includes interesting details that are addressed in Duarte (2018).
- 9.
The school—composed of two small buildings and a vegetable garden—and the alternative pedagogical model it implements are recurring points of reference for the population and for AM.
- 10.
The designers were undergraduate students of Design and Visual Arts at MEIA (Mindelo International School of Arts), a private, non-profit university, which is another of AM’s important projects. This intersection of contact networks and knowledge is of great importance, as it maximizes resources and creates innovative and often unforeseen synergies.
- 11.
In the Slow Food Terra Madre 2017 edition, artisan cheese produced in another village of S. Antão was awarded a prize. The renewal of its production also benefited from the data resulting from an investigation initially promoted by MA.
- 12.
Other produce surpluses, together with other local products, are sold at the monthly markets held in the courtyard of the Project headquarters.
- 13.
During the author’s community-based tourism experience in March 2016, the host family showed a strong commitment to guiding the author to points of interest within the local community.
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The writing of the chapter was supported by FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, within the scope of UID/SOC/00727/2013.
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Duarte, A. (2019). Social Innovation at the Service of Development: The Case of Atelier Mar in Cabo Verde. In: Cagica Carvalho, L., Rego, C., Lucas, M.R., Sánchez-Hernández, M.I., Backx Noronha Viana, A. (eds) New Paths of Entrepreneurship Development. Studies on Entrepreneurship, Structural Change and Industrial Dynamics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96032-6_17
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