Grassroots Social Innovation - The Role of Collaboration and Experiential Learning

This ethnographic exploration explores the everyday workings of three grassroots initiatives, highlighting the practices driving social change. Readers will discover practical models for collective organizing within social innovation communities, offering insights for both activists and policymakers eager to effect change in urban life.

List of contents

Introduction 1. The collective nature of social innovation 2. Micro-institutional mechanisms of change 3. Research methods and approach 4. Case studies of grassroots social innovation: the Open Jazdów Settlement, Paca 40 Action Space, and "Dobrze" Food Cooperative 5. Transformative collaboration in grassroots social innovation 6. Change as a learning process 7. Rotation and diffusion within communities 8. Discussion of research results: Deep, experiential collaboration for the common good 9. Conclusions

About the author

Karolina Osterczuk, Ph.D., is a Warsaw-based Researcher and Lecturer at SWPS University, Poland. Professionally, she specializes in social innovations, communities, and the Theory of Change. In particular, she is interested in micro-dimension of transformation and the role of bottom-up, grassroots initiatives in the process of change. She researches models of collaboration and co-creation, and the mechanisms of community building and sustaining. For several years, she has been working with cooperatives, intentional communities, artisans, and business, in Poland, Nepal, India and Portugal.

Product details

• Authors: Karolina Osterczuk
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.04.2025
• EAN: 9781032887456
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3288745-6
• No. of pages: 170
• Series: Routledge Focus on Business and Management
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Education > Social education, social work; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Natural sciences (general); Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Politics; Social sciences, law, business > Business > General, dictionaries; BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Development / Sustainable Development, Business & Economics / General, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Organizational Development, Organizational theory & behaviour, Research & development management, Business mathematics & systems, Development Studies, Organizational theory and behaviour, Research and development management, Business mathematics and systems, Entrepreneurship / Start-ups