Social innovation in Spain, China and Russia: key aspects of development

At present, when the socio-economic situation is continuously changing, it becomes crucial to maintain social stability and promote the reproduction of high-quality human capital for national and regional development. In pursuit of this goal, it is important to create favorable conditions for effective implementation of human potential. At the same time, world practice shows that regions and countries face a number of challenges which state institutions often fail to cope with, and it leads to “government failures”. The paper uses comparative analysis to consider the opportunities to use social innovation in addressing social issues on the example of Spain, China and Russia. We present major directions of development for the concept of social innovation in these countries, show the current state of affairs in this sphere, highlight the role of state policy in promoting social innovation in the countries under consideration, and define the main features and trends in this sphere. We analyze successful examples of social innovation (Pe ascal Foundation (Spain), honeycomb-like office buildings (China), Project “Mama Works” (Russia)) in order to show how different actors find solutions to concrete social problems. In particular, we prove that social innovation is an effective tool to promote employment of vulnerable population groups. In conclusion, we provide a comparative analysis of major features in the development of social innovation in Spain, China and Russia (focus, actors, drivers, barriers, and mechanisms of social innovation changes, and the role of policy); on this basis we propose key measures to promote the development of social innovation in the countries under consideration.