Social Innovation for Sustainable Development: : Analyzing the Integration of Sustainability Competencies in Social Innovation Education.

Abstract: Describing novel ideas and solutions that more effectively meet people’s needs than existing products, processes, or structures, social innovation (SI) is a promising concept to address the pressing issues of the sustainability challenge that society faces. Social innovation education (SIE) is a recent field in higher education that has gained attention regarding its potential contribution to sustainable development (SD); as such, SIE is nested within the system of education for sustainable development (ESD). The Sustainability Competencies Framework (SCF) suggests key competencies that equip students for work in SD. This thesis assesses the presence of sustainability competencies in SIE programs to provide insights on how SIE can strategically contribute to SD. A global sample of ten SIE programs has been qualitatively investigated; the findings map the content and pedagogies within the programs and provide recommendations for curriculum design that successfully teaches key sustainability competencies. Following a strategic approach for SD, the researchers take the nested system of ESD into consideration and suggest a science-based definition of sustainability across the diversity of programs to facilitate a common discourse and mutual contributions for successful education. The research addresses both educators and institutions of SIE and ESD programs.