Policy Press Implementing Innovative Social Investment: Strategic Lessons from Europe

Introduction and conclusion available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. The turn towards a Social Investment approach to welfare implies deploying resources to enhance human capital and mobilise the productive potential of citizens, starting in early childhood. This edited collection brings regional and local realities to the forefront of social investment debates by showcasing successes, challenges and setbacks of Social Investment policies and services from ten European countries: Italy, UK, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Spain. It provides practical, accessible illustrations of good practice, routes to success, and lessons learned. The book is informed throughout by engagement with service users and local communities, and features many previously unheard voices including front-line workers, local decision makers, volunteers and beneficiaries. Review "I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in discovering about the latest innovations in European social investment policy." Christopher Deeming, University of Strathclyde About the Author Susan Baines is Professor of Social Enterprise at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her research has spanned social policy, innovation, enterprise and civil society, and she has published extensively on these themes. Andrea Bassi is Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Bologna. His research interests include studies on non-profit organizations in the field of social and health services, systems of measurement of organizational performance and social impact of non-profit organizations. Judit Csoba is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Debrecen. Her research focuses on sociology of work, social policy, employment system of welfare states, employment policy, and social economy. Flórián Sipos is an assistant lecturer at the University of Debrecen, affiliated with the Department of Sociology and Social Policy. His field of research includes political participation, youth sociology, and social investment.