Social Innovations

^{Graphic: Valentin Rüegg 2020}

Goal

The Swiss mountain regions are under pressure: simple economic growth is increasingly being questioned in the face of a variety of challenges. This research project analyzed the role of social innovations in connection with growth issues in the Bernese Oberland. Social innovations are new approaches to solving social and economic challenges that involve new forms of cooperation (e.g. employee sharing in tourism, new forms of basic services, public-private cooperation in the renovation of second homes). As part of the project, an inventory of social innovations in the Bernese Oberland was created, with a particular focus on tourism, the construction industry and the healthcare sector. The inventory was then used for detailed analyses of the emergence of social innovations, the actors involved and the effects.

Motivation

Social innovation and future economic development are two important issues in Swiss mountain regions. However, their interrelationship has not yet been studied much. The research project was dedicated to various questions relating to social innovation in the Swiss mountain regions and we paid special attention to the Bernese Oberland.

Support

The project was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) (grant number 179112). It had a duration of 4 years (Nov. 2018 - Oct. 2022). The research work was carried out by the Unit Economic Geography of the Institute of Geography at the University of Bern, the Tourism Research Unit at the Center for Regional Development (CRED) at the University of Bern and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). The inventory is regularly supplemented and updated by the Economic Geography Unit.