Investing in Civil Society Innovations

Of the myriad roles that civil society plays in making development and governance inclusive, innovations to solve ‘wicked’ problems has been one of the most significant contributions. In India, many flagship programmes of the government have had roots in civil society innovations. Informal and formal education, promotion of livelihood and social protections, enabling access to basic services like water, sanitation, health, conservation of natural resources, strengthening women’s economic and social empowerment and improving capacities and accountability in governance institutions are just a few examples where civil society innovations have led to progressive policy making and effective programme formulation by national and/or state governments. In recent years, these foundational innovations along with new technologies have also been adapted, adopted and supported by many philanthropic and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Many civil society innovations have been fostered within an eco-system that has attracted and nurtured appropriate human talent in the sector. The openness of international donors to underwrite the risks involved in any innovative and experimental work, on the one hand, and willingness of the government to search for innovative ideas and practices beyond the official system, helped many such innovations to flourish, providing assistance to  millions of the poorest of poor and marginalised communities. In cultivating such experimental work,  several civil society organisations put a premium on the lived experiences of underprivileged communities; and in recent years they have leveraged technology to increase equitable access and provision of services. The social embeddedness of these innovations makes them vastly relevant. Over the years, many such innovations have been planted and germinated in the ‘fertile soils’ of other developing countries.

As we confront newer development challenges along with the existing ones, civil society’s seminal role to innovate cannot be overemphasised. However, the support system, including sufficient flexible resources to invest in civil society innovations, is diminishing rather rapidly. A disproportionate demand for scaling up outreach (often misconstrued as the only impact) of proven work has the risk of homogenising civil society by overemphasising its ‘fill the gap’ implementation role at the cost of cutting edge innovations.

As PRIA completes its 40 years, it recommits to foster a conducive and supportive environment for civil society and non-profits to continue as well as re-engage in cutting edge innovations. This can only be done in partnership with others who actively advocate for civil society innovations. In this context, PRIA in collaboration with Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy, Ashoka University and The/ Nudge Foundation will co-organise a Samvad - Conversation on “Investing in Civil Society Innovations” on Thursday, 30 September, 2021 from 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm (IST) in partnership with Centre for Social Impact and Philosophy (CSIP), Ashoka University and The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation. The Conversation will delve into the following key questions: 

• What are the best funding practices that foster development innovation by civil society?
• What needs to change in the current funding practices of resource providers to foster development innovations by civil society?

PROGRAMME AGENDA

4.00 pm to 4.15 pm: Welcome and Introduction 

4.15 pm to 4.30 pm: Setting the Stage
• Mr Martin O'Brien, Founder and Executive Director, Social Change Initiative, Ireland
• Ms Ingrid Srinath, Director, Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy, Ashoka University, India

4.30 pm to 5.00 pm: Deep Dive Conversation (opening round)
• Dr Ashok Khosla, Founder Chairperson, Development Alternatives Group, India
• Ms Naghma Mulla, CEO, EdelGive Foundation
• Dr Samar Varma, Programme Officer, Ford Foundation, India
• Dr Barry Knight, Executive Director, Centre for Research and Innovation in Social Policy Ltd
(CENTRIS), UK and Independent Researcher with WINGS, UK
• Ms Sudha Srinivasan, Chief Executive Officer, The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation, India

5.00 pm to 5.20 pm: Open Discussion

5.20 pm to 5.50 pm: Deep Dive Conversation (closing round)

5.50 pm to 6.00 pm: Key Takeaways, Vote of Thanks and Closure
• Dr Rajesh Tandon, Founder President, Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), India

Moderator: Dr Kaustuv Kanti Bandyopadhyay, Director, Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), India

For more detailed webinar report: Click here

For webinar recording: Click here