The Atlantic Social Lab partnership has concluded the report “Social innovation pilot actions in the Atlantic Area: a proposal for monitoring impacts”. This document suggests an evaluation method for social innovation initiatives. Pilot actions implemented in 2018 and 2019 by the project partners were used as an empirical material to perform this type of assessment. The study was organized by the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra with information provided by the project partners.

The document is structured in three main sections. In the first section, the pilot actions organized under Atlantic Social Lab are presented with additional detail. These refer to 11 initiatives in the four project topics: (i) Social innovation & welfare services, (ii) Social innovation & active public engagement, (iii) Green inclusive economy, and (iv) Social economy and social responsibility in the private sector, with the intention of promoting social and economic changes in their territories. In the second section, the evaluation framework is clarified, presenting the Theory of Change and Contribution Analysis as a way to comprehend linkages and value generated between activities and outcomes. Finally, the third section, uses empirical material from the pilot actions to, in an exploratory and descriptive fashion, understand the potential of this framework to assess the impacts of social innovation initiatives. The consequences of social innovation, in depth and time, go beyond what is possible to see in this short period of implementation. Nonetheless, this document presents an approach that can be an inspiration and adapted to assess the impacts of other social innovation initiatives.

The EAPA_246 / 2016 project Atlantic Social Lab - Atlantic Cooperation for the Promotion of Social Innovation is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the INTERREG Atlantic Area Cooperation Programme. The project involves 9 partners and 10 associated partners in Spain, Portugal, France, United Kingdom and Ireland, being led by the municipality of Avilés in Spain (Asturias). Its main goal is to develop and promote social innovation approaches and methods to help solving growing social issues of the Atlantic Area, involving citizens, third sector, social enterprises and the public sector.

The report is available here! : http://www.atlanticsociallab.eu/sites/default/files/2020-01/14.%20ASL%20Pilot%20Actions_ToC_dez2019.pdf