Social Innovation as Social Practices Change: The Case of ‘Open Schools’

The debate about ‘social innovation’ has gained increasingly relevance both at academic and public level. At the same time, to define ‘what social innovation is’ and ‘how it can be studied’ is not straightforward. The article aims to discuss ‘social innovation’ by adopting a pragmatic approach. In particular, it suggests a connection between ‘social innovation theory’ and ‘social practice theory’. Within this framework, social innovation can be conceived as a change in social practices. The article then tests this approach by exploring a specific social innovation: ‘open schools’ in Italy.