In this article, we describe the emergence of a new Finance course in line with the concept of the Societal Cost-Benefit Analysis (SCBA). By means of an in-depth case study, we reconstruct the process of dissatisfaction and corresponding discussions among lecturers and students of the Master Integrated Care Design with regard to the learning aims and content of the Finance course, which is a study module of this master. During the period 2015-2021, the aims and content of this module were revised and remoulded several times in order to define a Finance course that was able to both sufficiently and creatively connect the domain of Integrated Care with that of Finance. In this process of reiterating revision both lectures and students played a crucial role. The ultimate result – the indicative Societal Cost-Benefit Analysis – was unexpected and unplanned, producing an outcome that surpassed the sum of its separate parts. In short, the process, as we describe in this case study, bears all the hallmarks of emergence. Moreover, the analysis shows how this process of emergence in combination with emergent leadership led to a practicable and encouraging outcome, which satisfied and committed all stakeholders, setting an example that is worth following.
Health and social well-being depend on many contextual facets which are interdependent in a complex way and are all but limited to the field of cure and care. Publications of the World Health Organization and the Dutch Ministry of Health show that good health also depends on socioeconomic aspects such as stable living conditions and (pre-emptive) debt counselling. Inspired by these findings, many programs have been launched that aim for an integrated approach of health and social issues. Although these programs enjoy a lot of sympathy, the implementation proves to be difficult. Among many obstacles, more than once the financing of the program is a stumbling block. The hesitation to invest is prompted by the uncertainties of the benefits these programs aim at. These uncertainties relate to both size and distribution. The intended results are mostly long term and not always easy to monetize. Moreover, the benefits may distribute among other stakeholders than those who bore the costs of the program, the so-called ‘wrong pocket problem’. To overcome the hesitation to invest, a social cost-benefit analysis offers a remedy. Social Cost-Benefit Analysis (SCBA): A SCBA assesses the impact of an investment on society by estimating all relevant costs and revenues – both financial and non-financial – and their (re)distributions amongst stakeholders. From this perspective, this type of analysis is an important contribution to policy development. Publications of public planning and research agencies in the Netherlands underline the contribution of SCBA’s to policymaking in the field of public health and social welfare.
This paper focuses on the topical and problematic area of social innovations. The aim of this paper is to develop an original approach to the allocation of social innovations, taking into account characteristics such as the degree of state participation, the scope of application, the type of initiations as well as the degree of novelty, which will be elaborated on further in this article. In order to achieve this goal, the forty-two most successful social innovations were identified and systematized. The results of this study demonstrated that 73.5% of social innovations are privately funded, most of them operating on an international level with a high degree of novelty. Moreover, 81% of all social innovations are civic initiatives. Social innovations play an important role in the growth of both developed and less developed countries alike as highlighted in our extensive analysis
