Knowledge co-construction, social innovation and territorial development: A Québec experience

Abstract

The social economy’s movement in Quebec has a trajectory of agreement that provides room for the development of dynamics of co-construction and knowledge transfer. In front of the application of austerity policies and the dismantling of economic development corporations, different local practices raise the dialogue between research and action on the ground as a key point for citizen mobilization and in order to promote the articulation of social innovation processes. At the crossroads between knowledge on these practices and a new epistemological paradigm is framed the organization Territoires innovants in Économie Sociale et Solidaire (TIESS). This article analyses this initiative by exploring its immediate referents and taking into account the constraints that affect the transfer of knowledge about social innovation. In conclusion, it is observed that the organization of the link between socially innovative actors is currently one of the main challenges of territorial development.