CERGAS Seminar "Challenges in implementing social impact evaluation"
Nowadays, measuring and evaluating social impact of public and private interventions is a requirement and a necessity in the field of welfare and social innovation. However, the absence of standards and lack of a general agreement about how to proceed, turn very often into challenges and extra efforts for the public and private organizations that are involved. Through the analysis of two case studies and the direct expertise of the speakers, the seminar aims at discussing which are the main challenges when implementing social impact evaluations and which can be the role of researchers in supporting organizations that are involved.
Abstract - Marco Accorinti
The presentation will describe the practice of social impact assessment applied to the activity of the Italian Red Cross. The approach used, the method followed and the tools developed will be described. A specific part will be dedicated to the consequences that the evaluation tool can have for a third sector organisation.
Abstract - Maria Giulia Garcea, Gianluca Gionfriddo, Andrea Piccaluga
One of the main challenges associated with implementing social impact evaluation is the need to consider the longitudinal perspective of measuring social impact. This complexity arises because social impact often occurs over an extended period, and the full range of benefits may not be apparent at the time of implementation or immediately after the program has ended.
Furthermore, measuring social impact longitudinally can be challenging because it may require tracking beneficiaries over time, assessing changes in their circumstances and measuring the impact of other interventions or external factors that may influence outcomes. Failure to take into account longitudinal benefits can lead to an incomplete understanding of the program's effectiveness and limit its potential for impact.
To address this challenge, our research team conducted a research project based on the collaboration with a non-profit organization that took part in the widespread welcoming plan implemented by Third Sector and Private Social Organizations across the country for people from Ukraine. In particular, we explored different methods for measuring the longitudinal dimension of social impact, i.e., by conducting surveys, interviews, and focus groups with those who have received support and those who provided support. We specifically looked at ways to collect and analyze data on the outcomes of the welcoming activities, such as longitudinal changes in employment status, access to education and healthcare, and social integration.
Overall, our research provides practical solutions and models that facilitate organizations to measure the social impact of their welcoming activities accurately. By doing so, we hope to help them improve the effectiveness of their programs and provide better support to those who need it most. We believe that these solutions have the potential to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of social impact evaluation, and ultimately lead to better decision-making for social programs and policies.
Speakers:
Marco Accorinti is professor of General Sociology at University Roma Tre (Rome, Italy). He has been involved for years in social policies, social planning, welfare systems, evaluation of social services and studies on the third sector. In recent years, his research has focused on migration policies.
Maria Giulia Garcea (mariagiulia.garcea@santannapisa.it ) works in Innovation Management area at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa. She has experiences in consulting companies for which she worked in the past 5 years in Project management and Sustainability fields.
At Sant’Anna, Maria Giulia helps companies to build models of social impact evaluation and to address sustainable development and social entrepreneurship in general. She works and interacts both with profit and not for profit organizations.
Gianluca Gionfriddo (gianluca.gionfriddo@santannapisa.it), PhD, is a Post-Doctoral Researcher in Innovation Management at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa. His research focuses on ethical drivers in organizations and the role of purpose-driven companies in society, exploring how values impact corporate performance and drive societal impact.
Gianluca serves as a teaching tutor to several programmes concerning social entrepreneurship and sustainable development and supports start-ups, enterprises, and not for profit organizations in assessment of their social impact.
Link zoom: https://unibocconi-it.zoom.us/j/95438177054?pwd=NVVSTjhITDdtU3FMQ3oxb1ZyUEZhdz09
Meeting ID: 954 3817 7054
Passcode: 245470
For those willing to participate in person, please write to erica.dugnani@sdabocconi.it