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The aim of this report is to shed light on the contribution of the European Social Fund (ESF) to Social Innovation (SI) in the programming period. This includes how social innovation has been integrated into ESF programming and implemented. A second goal is to assess how SI contributes to the effective implementation of the policies in the ESF's scope. The interest for social innovation is related to several socio-economic factors such as the economic and social crisis, the ageing of the population, fierce global competition, migration, and youth unemployment. Thus, as foreseen in the ESF regulation, testing and evaluating innovative solutions before scaling them up is instrumental in improving the efficiency of policies and thus justifies specific support from the ESF. Yet, despite that the relevance of social innovation in contemporary society is widely acknowledged, the conceptual boundaries of what constitutes Social innovation have not yet been fully defined. This report contributes to a better understanding of SI by providing a conceptual framework for SI, based on the existing literature and the expertise and knowledge of a set of key actors consulted. This SI conceptual framework gathers a set of building blocks, dimensions and elements that should be present in SI initiatives to different degrees, depending on the more or less strict approach to SI adopted. To this end an operational matrix has been constructed on the basis of the conceptual framework that has allowed us to gauge the mapping of SI actions of the 187 ESF OPs as regards these dimensions and elements and their interactions. The study has analysed various complementary sources of information: available quantitative indicators (financial and performance indicators), mapping of actions through the screening of Annual Implementation Reports (AIRs)/ Operational Programmes (OPs), semi-structured interviews with a selection of EC officials and an E-Survey of managing authorities have been conducted to gather more in-depth insights on programming choices and processes. Additionally, six case studies have been carried out in Belgium (Flanders), Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Sweden, ensuring both geographic and types of region coverage and adequate representativeness of the different level of "maturity" in SI and in managing the European Social Fund. The study gathered and systematized these various sources of information so as to analyse to what extent and how do ESF OPs address SI, as defined in the conceptual framework. In so doing, different patterns of SI intervention have been identified; the financial resources and the intended and actual outcomes and results quantified; the success factors for SI activities pinpointed and a series of recommendations highlighted.
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