Innovation as a distinct and added value in non-profit welfare

Abstract

Innovation is expected to provide a distinct and added value in non-profit welfare, in the sense of novel ways of meeting needs and challenges in the Swedish welfare system. This article presents a study of documents from the public and non-profit sectors to bring clarity to these expectations. The documents highlight non-profit origins of public welfare services such as home care and childcare centers, and expectations of continued initiatives to meet needs overlooked by public and commercial actors. Proposed measures of reserved participation in public procurement could enable non-profit actors to function both as innovators/forerunners and as complements/replacements in relation to public welfare. It is however uncertain if this provides enough space for the social aims and means of innovation as a distinct feature and added value in non-profit welfare.