CONTOUR OF THE "SOCIAL INNOVATION" ECONOMIC CATEGORY: INTERDISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS
Social innovations are an integral part of both innovation development and the evolution of socio-economic systems. This fact led to a rapid growth of studies in the field of social innovations by scientific groups of various disciplines, as well as among practitioners. At the same time, there is a complete confusion of approaches, concepts and laws of different disciplines, which does not allow one to build a complex, harmonious theoretical platform for economic analysis. The purpose of this article is to highlight the economic category of “social innovation” through the presentation of the author’s definition, the socio-economic relations of agents in the process of the formation of social innovations, as well as the identification of patterns and contradictions. In order to achieve the aim of the research, the existing theoretical and methodological provisions of social innovations were systematized from such spheres as sociology, social psychology, research of creative potential. The practice-led approach was singled out. Social innovations are defined as new combinations of resources that change the institutional context and or stimulate effective solutions to social problems. The institutional context is a system of institutions on the basis of which economic agents interact for production, distribution, exchange and consumption of goods. A number of laws and contradictions in the process of social innovation formation and development were revealed. At the same time, the role of economic agents participating in social and economic relations in the course of formation and development of social innovations has a peculiar character. The presented research expands the theory of social innovations and can be used as a platform for further analysis. The practical importance of this study is the possibility of using the results, the main findings, the provisions contained in the study by the government to carry out effective policies in this area; moreover, it has significance for the activity of innovators.