STREAM 10
Social impact measurement and management:
challenges and pathways

Social impact measurement and management are key to understanding how to best improve the living conditions of individuals and communities. Measuring and managing social impact are complex and debated practices, and they involve the participation of many stakeholders (social entrepreneurs, decision-makers of social, hybrid and non-profit organisations, financiers, investors, policymakers and academics). Finding ways to appropriately measure and manage social impact may support the identification and   scaling of practices that could improve people’s lives. Yet, there exist important theoretical and practical barriers to social impact measurement and management. Some of these barriers are:

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• conflicts between different epistemological approaches to (social) impact concept;

• how to link epistemological approaches to social impact with  measurement methods;

• challenges of developing shared measurement practices;

• whether qualitative or quantitative or mixed-method approaches should be used and which one works better according to specific cases and research objectives;

• difficulty with assessing long-term impacts;

• lack of social impact data and high costs attached to quality measurement processes;

• lack of skills and organisation capacity to measure social impact;

• difficulties with managing impact measurement practices and results;

• lack of guidelines for using social impact objectives and metrics as managerial decision- making instruments.

 

This stream aims to tackle these challenges by bringing together researchers and practitioners from different backgrounds and disciplines to discuss approaches to and pathways in social impact measurement and management. We invite contributions covering the following or related topics:

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• Theoretical approaches to social impact: definitions, ontological and epistemological stances, theories and models.

• Multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to social impact measurement.

• Methodological issues, methods and tools to assess social impact.

• Empirical research identifying indicators and metrics in specific fields, sectors, or industries.

• Social impact measurement in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

• Geographical experiences of social impact measurement.

• Use of new technologies (e.g. blockchain technologies, satellite imagery, GIS technologies) to improve, scale or systematize social impact measurement.

• Relationships between social impact measurement and the behaviour of hybrid organisations (e.g. balancing between social and financial objectives, mission drift).

• The use of social impact measurement through certifications (e.g. B corp, Fair trade).

• Examples of trainings and methods to facilitate the adoption of social impact measurement.

• Results from capacity building and collaborative efforts for social impact measurement.  

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References

Arena, M., Bengo, I., Calderini, M. & Chiodo, V. (2018). Unlocking finance for social tech start-ups: Is there a new opportunity space? Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 127, 154-165.

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Battilana, J., Obloj, T., Pache, A.-C., & Sengul, M. (2020). Beyond Shareholder Value Maximization: Accounting for Financial/Social Tradeoffs in Dual-Purpose Companies. Academy of Management Review.

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Bengo, I., Arena M., Azzone, G. And Calderini, M., (2016). Indicators and metrics for social business: a review of current approaches. Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, 1(2), 1-24.

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Bengo, I. (2018). Debate: Impact measurement and social public procurement. Public Money & Management, 38(5), 391-392.

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Kroeger, A., & Weber, C. 2014. Developing a conceptual framework for comparing social value creation. Academy of Management Review, 39(4): 513–540.

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Molecke, G., & Pinkse, J. 2017. Accountability for social impact: A bricolage perspective on impact measurement in social enterprises. Journal of Business Venturing, 32(5): 550–568.

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Nason, R. S., Bacq, S., & Gras, D. 2018. A Behavioral Theory of Social Performance: Social Identity and Stakeholder Expectations. Academy of Management Review, 43(2): 259–283.

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Rawhouser, H., Cummings, M., Newbert, S.L., 2019. Social Impact Measurement: Current Approaches and Future Directions for Social Entrepreneurship Research. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 43, 82–115.