Social innovation and austerity governance in Athens and Madrid: Rethinking the changing contours of policy and practice

The notion of social innovation (SI) has received significant attention in academic debates and policy, denoting the potential for bottom-up and ‘bottom-linking’ sociospatial transformations and solutions to societal challenges in times of crises. This article takes on a critical approach to how SI is being employed in institutional channels and urban policy, by suggesting a reconceptualization of the different dimensions or forms it may acquire in the context of austerity governance. The article engages with case studies of policy initiatives developed in the cities of Athens and Madrid in the post-economic crisis period, in order to contribute to a new line of investigation into how policy through the ‘co-paradigm’ reconfigures the meaning and practice of SI, by tapping into the innovative dynamic of the civil society. It then critically evaluates the possibilities and limitations for grassroots innovations to influence urban governance in an era of austerity.