The role of digital social innovations to address SDGs: A systematic review

Marcelo Dionisio (), Sylvio Jorge Souza Junior (), Fábio Paula () and Paulo César Pellanda ()
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Marcelo Dionisio: Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)
Sylvio Jorge Souza Junior: Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)
Fábio Paula: Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)
Paulo César Pellanda: IME - Military Institute of Engineering

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2024, vol. 26, issue 3, No 10, 5709-5734

Abstract: Abstract The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the search for solutions to social problems associated with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Main actors are turning to Digital Social Innovations (DSIs), defined as collaborative innovations where enterprises, users and communities collaborate using digital technologies to promote solutions at scale and speed, connecting innovation, the social world and digital ecosystems to reach the 2030 Agenda. This study aims to identify how digital transformations and social innovations solve social problems and address SDGs. We conducted a systematic review based on a sample of 45 peer-reviewed articles published from 2010 to 2022, combining a bibliometric study and a content analysis focusing on opportunities and threats impacting these fields. We observed the spread and increasing use of technologies associated with all 17 SDGs, specially blockchain, IoT, artificial intelligence, and autonomous robots that are increasing their role and presence exponentially, completely changing the current way of doing things, offering a dramatic evolution in many different segments, such as health care, smart cities, agriculture, and the combat against poverty and inequalities. We identified many threats concerning ethics, especially with the increased use of public data, and concerns about the impacts on the labor force and the possible instability and impact it may cause in low skill/low pay jobs. We expect that our findings advance the concept of digital social innovations and the benefits of its adoption to promote social advancements.

Keywords: Social innovation; Digital transformation; Industry 4.0; UN sustainable goals; Systematic literature review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10668-023-03038-x

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