Research Highlight (Ken AOO)
1. Analysis of social innovation scaling processes in 4 East Asian countries
Aoo (2019) analyzed how different social innovation cases scaled (or failed to) in 4 Asian countries (China, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea). Based on case analysis of 7 cases, it argued that either “top-down” or “bottom-up” social innovation initiatives scaled when there was a) a proliferation of multi-sectoral “alliances” at local levels to support the initiative, b) society facing serious challenge, and c) the creation of new ideas or values.
Figure 1: Analysis of social innovation scaling process (environmental pollution in Japan)
2. Re-visiting a mountainous village in Northern Okayama
As a member of Okayama University team to re-visit the same mountainous village researched by OU in the 1950s, Ken works with local people, governments, corporates, and other stakeholders to find out together how the village changed in the last 70 years, what are the current challenges, and how such communities can sustain and develop in the future. This project is conducted as a joint work with Hashimoto Foundation based in Okayama. As a part of this project, comparative analysis of farmers organizations and innovations in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand, and how different kinds of social capitals are affecting the process resulted to a joint paper (Rado et al. 2021).
Figure 2: A mountainous village in Northern Okayama
3. Setouchi sustainability and well-being research project
This is a joint project with Benesse Holdings and other stakeholders to analyze how 30-years initiative in Setouchi islands to revive rural area by contemporary art transformed the local communities, and impacted local people’s well-being. The project is planned to continue until March 2023, and to produce a model of social innovation for other regions’ use.
Figure 3: Research in Naoshima island, Kagawa
Reference
Rado, I, Lu, M.-F, Lin, I-C, Aoo, K. (2021) “Societal Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Asian Rural Societies: A Multi-Sectoral Social Capital Approach in Thailand, Taiwan and Japan”, Sustainability 13(5). Article no. 2747.
Aoo, K. (2019) Social Innovation Scaling Process in East Asia: Bridging the gaps between stakeholders. Okayama: University Education Press.