An Ecoystem For Social Innovation in Estonia



In 2023 ESIA member Tallinn University published an analysis of Estonia’s social innovation ecosystem. The report “An Ecoystem For Social Innovation in Estonia“ binds together the most relevant reports of recent years in the field of social innovation and social enterprise as well as new knowledge and insights coming from the European Social Innovation Alliance (ESIA) in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the situation of the SI ecosystem in Estonia and to offer policy recommendations for its development.



Key insights were:

Social innovation (SI) is increasingly attracting attention of policy makers, academics, entrepreneurs aiming at finding better and more effective solutions to social problems. In Estonia, a shared understanding of SI has not yet been reached and there is no strategy for SI. There are several supportive conditions that provide fertile ground for SI to flourish and for example SI vision is developed. Examples of SI in Estonia can be found in both distant and recent history (e.g. women’s suffrage or Let’s do it! World Cleanup Day). Such innovations have rather been part of societal evolutionary processes than the result of a purposefully created environment.

The more conscious development of SI in Estonia has been driven by the UN’s sustainable development goals and the general increase in awareness, first of all, of environmental problems and then also of broader social problems. The Estonian SI ecosystem is in the early stages of its development. It has been a bottom-up development characterized by several autonomous and not interlinked initiatives in different sectors and levels. So far, there has been a lack of a political agenda and a comprehensive vision of SI and its institutionalisation, although several enabling elements can be found.

The overall coordination of collaboration of organizations in the SI landscape has been missing but there are positive signs of an emerging SI network for exchange of knowledge and agreement of common goals. In the spring of 2022, a broad-based agreement was signed by the initiative of non-governmental parties to express the need and interest for cross-sector cooperation in the promotion of social innovation and social entrepreneurship.

Estonian SI landscape is strongly impacted by the digital economy and society. On the other hand, SI is driven by the increasing inequality and uneven distribution of resources in society, together with the heightened awareness of social issues. In the public debate about Estonia’s development, alongside economic success, there is a growing emphasis on social and environmental problems. There are necessary preconditions for the adoption of the SI vision in society – the growing awareness of the need to find solutions through the recognition of societal problems, and the experiences for creating and spreading innovative approaches. An agreed SI strategy is still missing from the success formula to initiate positive systemic changes and prevent from negative developments.

Based on this study, a process for developing a common vision for social innovation in Estonia was started. It was led by ESIA member Civil Society Foundation (KÜSK) in cooperation with Tallinn University, Võrumaa Development Centre, Social Enterprise Network, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Social Affairs. Furthermore, representatives of the State Chancellery, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of the Environment and the Network of Regional Development Centres participated in the process. Stakeholders were able to provide input to the visioning process through seminars organised in various locations in Estonia. For more information (in Estonian), please see  here .