Introduction: the great imbalances I MAKING SENSE OF SOCIAL INNOVATION What is social innovation and how is it done? The roots of social innovation and the fragile springs of social generativity II. CHALLENGES, ROADBLOCKS AND SYSTEMS The political context for social innovation now: thesis, antithesis and synthesis Structural change and new social contracts: how innovation in welfare can address changing needs Social production systems: what is the best unit for analysis and action? Place-based systems change: how can governments, funders and civil society achieve more together? III. SOURCES, IDEAS AND WAYS OF SEEING The theoretical foundations of social innovation: sources, ideas and future directions Social science and intelligence design Observation, interpretation and activism: sociology's role in social change Understanding how cultures change A theory of belonging: how do we feel at home? The interpretation of social change IV GOOD AND BAD SOCIAL INNOVATION Know Your Impact (and in praise of better borrowing) The evolution of measures that matter: how do we know if social innovation is working? Good and bad innovation: what theory and practice do we need to distinguish them? V SOCIAL INNOVATION AND THE FUTURE Social innovation in the 2020s Thinking about the future VI FRESH THINKING.