Inclusive Innovation for Urban Justice: A Framework for Participatory Social Entrepreneurship
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47963/jobed.v13i.2052Keywords:
Inclusive Innovation, Social Entrepreneurship, Participatory Governance, Urban Justice, Innovation EcosystemsAbstract
In the recent two decades, Cities face challenges of inequality, exclusion, and uneven development. As an answer to this, an urgent need to rethink how innovation and entrepreneurship can advance justice and inclusion emerged. This paper examines the role of inclusive innovation in shaping socially grounded forms of urban entrepreneurship that could respond to these pressing issues. We did a systematic literature review and conceptual synthesis, and we explored the emerging intersections between inclusive innovation and urban social entrepreneurship. So, from this analysis, we introduce the Urban Inclusive Social Entrepreneurship UISE Framework, which integrates four interrelated layers: Foundational Infrastructure, Social Drivers and Stakeholders, Participatory Processes, and Inclusive Outcomes. We, in the UISE framework, focus on collaboration among local governments, universities, civil society organizations, and communities. Conceptually, we reframe inclusive innovation as a structural and ethical foundation for urban transformation. Practically, we provide policymakers, urban planners, and local entrepreneurs with a roadmap for fostering more just and inclusive cities through participatory and collaborative approaches.
Downloads
References
Alonso, A., Kok, S. K., O'Brien, S., & O'Shea, M. (2020). The significance of grassroots and inclusive innovation in harnessing social entrepreneurship and urban regeneration. European Business Review, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-05-2019-0102
Ansari, S., Munir, K., & Gregg, T. (2012). Impact at the 'Bottom of the Pyramid': The role of social capital in capability development and community empowerment. Journal of Management Studies, 49(4), 813–842.
Anthony Jnr, B. (2023). The role of community engagement in urban innovation towards the co-creation of smart sustainable cities. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-023-01176-1
Aragón, P., Kaltenbrunner, A., Calleja-López, A., Pereira, A., Monterde, A., Barandiaran, X., & Gómez, V. (2017). Deliberative platform design: The case study of the online discussions in Decidim Barcelona. In International Conference on Social Informatics (pp. 277–287). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67256-4_22
Bondi, E., Xu, L., Acosta-Navas, D., & Killian, J. (2021). Envisioning communities: A participatory approach towards AI for social good. In Proceedings of the 2021 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (pp. 425–436). https://doi.org/10.1145/3461702.3462612
Christmann, G., Sept, A., & Richter, R. (2024). Socially innovative initiatives in deprived rural areas of Germany, Ireland and Portugal: Exploring empowerment and impact on community development. Societies, 14(5), 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14050058
Ebbesson, E., Lund, J., & Smith, R. C. (2024). Dynamics of sustained co-design in Urban Living Labs. CoDesign, 20(3), 422–439. https://doi.org/10.1080/15710882.2024.2303115
Fainstein, S. S. (2014). The just city. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 18(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2013.834643
Foster, C., & Heeks, R. (2013). Conceptualising inclusive innovation: Modifying systems of innovation frameworks to understand diffusion of new technology to low-income consumers. European Journal of Development Research, 25(3), 333–355.
Fransen, J., Nyumba, R., Tuijl, E., & Gitundu, B. H. (2023). Community vitality and frugal practices in informal settlements in Nairobi: Towards a typology. Cities, 134, 104179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.104179
Fransolet, A., Phillips, A., & Vastenaekels, J. (2023). Reconciling the just and sustainable city in the era of just transition: A review of urban visions. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.13540.35203
George, G., McGahan, A. M., & Prabhu, J. (2012). Innovation for inclusive growth: Towards a theoretical framework and a research agenda. Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(3), 66–85. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01048.x
Heeks, R., Foster, C., & Nugroho, Y. (2014). New models of inclusive innovation for development. Innovation and Development, 4(2), 175–185. DOI: 10.1080/2157930X.2014.928982
Jack, W., & Suri, T. (2014). Risk sharing and transactions costs: Evidence from Kenya’s mobile money revolution. American Economic Review, 104(1), 183–223. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.104.1.183
Kalkancı, B., Rahmani, M., & Toktay, B. B. (2019). The role of inclusive innovation in promoting social sustainability. Production and Operations Management, 28, 2966–2986. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.13112
Leminen, S., & Westerlund, M. (2012). Towards innovation in living labs networks. International Journal of Product Development, 17(1/2), 43–59. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJPD.2012.051161
Levidow, L., & Papaioannou, T. (2017). Which inclusive innovation? Competing normative assumptions around social justice. Innovation and Development, 8, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2017.1351605
Makkonen, T., & Inkinen, T. (2024). Inclusive smart cities? Technology-driven urban development and disabilities. Cities, 154, 105334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2024.105334
Martí-Costa, M., & Tomàs, M. (2017). Urban governance in Spain: From democratic transition to austerity policies. Urban Studies, 54, 2107–2122. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098016669452
Mortazavi, S., Eslami, M. H., Hajikhani, A., & Väätänen, J. (2021). Mapping inclusive innovation: A bibliometric study and literature review. Journal of Business Research, 122, 648–658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.07.030
Nagy, S., & Somosi, M. (2022). The relationship between social innovation and digital economy and society. arXiv preprint. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2212.13840
OECD. (2015). Innovation policies for inclusive growth. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Pansera, M., & Owen, R. (2018). Framing inclusive innovation within the discourse of development: Insights from case studies in India. Research Policy, 47(1), 23–34. DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2017.09.007
Papaioannou, T. (2021). The idea of justice in innovation: Applying non-ideal political theory to address questions of sustainable public policy in emerging technologies. Sustainability, 13(5), 2655. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052655
Parjanen, S., & Pässilä, A. (2025). Emerging social innovation ecosystems – A case study of urban development in Finland. European Planning Studies, 33(12), 2123–2141. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2025.2544961
Razaghi, M., & Finger, M. (2018). Smart governance for smart cities. Proceedings of the IEEE, 106(4), 680–689. https://doi.org/10.1109/JPROC.2018.2807784
Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Harvard University Press.
Roy, A. (2012). Urban informality: The production of space and practice of planning. In The Oxford Handbook of Urban Planning (pp. 691–705). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195374995.013.0033
Sánchez Soriano, M., Arango Ramírez, P. M., Pérez López, E. I., & García Montalvo, I. A. (2024). Inclusive governance: Empowering communities and promoting social justice. Frontiers in Political Science, 6, Article 1478126. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2024.1478126
Severino, F. S., Lima, M. J., Mares, P., & Costa, T. (2025). Social entrepreneurship as a catalyst for reducing urban inequalities: Challenges and opportunities in Montijo, Portugal. Proceedings of the European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ECIE), 20(1), 675–683. https://doi.org/10.34190/ecie.20.1.4073
Smith, A., Torres Contreras, G. A., Brisbois, M.-C., Lacey-Barnacle, M., & Sovacool, B. K. (2023). Inclusive innovation in just transitions: The case of smart local energy systems in the UK. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 47, 100719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2023.100719
Steenkamp, I. (2024). Ecosystems of social enterprises: A systematic literature review. Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, forthcoming. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382975750_Ecosystems_of_Social_Enterprises_A_Systematic_Literature_Review
Tišma, S., Mileusnić Škrtić, M., Maleković, S., Jelinčić, D., & Keser, I. (2024). Empowering innovation: Advancing social entrepreneurship policies in Croatia. Sustainability, 16(15), 6650. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156650
Trabskaia, I., Gorgadze, A., Raudsaar, M., & Myyryläinen, H. (2023). A bibliometric analysis of social entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Administrative Sciences, 13(3), 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13030075
Trivedi, C. (2010). Towards a social ecological framework for social entrepreneurship. Journal of Entrepreneurship, 19(1), 63–80. https://doi.org/10.1177/097135570901900104
Uyarra, E., Bugge, M. M., Coenen, L., Flanagan, K., & Wanzenböck, I. (2025). Geographies of mission-oriented innovation policy. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 56, 100970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2025.100970
Wei, S., Boudreaux, C., Su, Z., & Wu, Z. (2024). Natural disasters and social entrepreneurship: An attention- based view. Small Business Economics, 62(4), 1409–1427. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-023-00822-x
Wiarda, M., Rodríguez-Gironés, E., & Doorn, N. (2025). How has mission-oriented innovation policy addressed justice considerations? A systematic review. Science and Public Policy. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scaf025
Yigitcanlar, T., & Velibeyoglu, K. (2008). Knowledge-based urban development: The local economic development path of Brisbane, Australia. Local Economy, 23(3), 195–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/02690940802197358
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ali Mobini Dehkordi, Seyedeh Sedigheh Ghorashi, Jahangir Yadollahi Farsi, Mahboobeh Vahabi Abyaneh

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.