Rôle de l’Innovation Sociale dans le Développement Socioéconomique au Maroc (original) (raw)

Role of Social Innovation in Socioeconomic Development in Morocco: First Findings from the Literature, and 4 Case Studies of Socially Innovative Associations Innovation has always been a concept related to science and technology. For Schumpeter, the founding father of innovation, it is a means at the service of economic performance in businesses. He also considers that any innovation, even scientific or technological, has a social character. This character has grown over the decades, as innovation has also become capable of addressing social, human and environmental challenges. This "Socialization" process of innovation gave birth to Social Innovation in the 1970s in an environment characterized by new social demands and profound economic and political changes. The goal of Social Innovation is to find new ways (goods, services, ideas ...) to satisfy social needs unmet by the market and / or the State, for the benefit of disadvantaged individuals and groups. In Morocco, the situation is not better. The country is currently suffering from serious problems in all domains: growing social inequalities, progressive reduction of the State's efforts in some important social domains like education and health… which lead to several claims and citizens movements that sometimes express new social demands. These claims, if not taken seriously into consideration, can destabilize the country and put in danger its social cohesion already in a breakdown. Therefore, it is a question of appealing to new alternative models of territorial development, and to base them on principles and practices of Social Innovation. In this context, we will try to know what role Social Innovation plays in socioeconomic development in Morocco, from the exploration of the existing literature, and the realization of 4 case studies of socially innovative associations in Morocco.