ITSSOIN – The Impact of the Third Sector as Social Innovation

Examination of social Innovations as contribution of the Third Sector on societal developments.

Objective: Verifying the impact of the Third Sector on socio-economic developments in Europe.

The ITSSOIN project – funded by the European Commission – is based on the assumption that the impact of the third sector on socio-economic development in Europe can be captured by investigating its role in creating social innovation. The project will explore the impact of the third sector and civic engagement on society as a whole, focusing on the role of social innovation in developing this impact. Based on an empirical portrait of the Third Sector in nine countries, the project will explore the influence of structural characteristics of non-profit organizations and civic engagement on social innovations. Thereby ITSSOIN will focus on organizations (properties and practices) and context conditions (discourses and policy frameworks). The fields to be investigated will include: culture & arts; social services; health care; environmental sustainability; consumer protection; work integration; and community development.