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The European Digital Social Innovation Index Construction Methodology

This is the full methodology for the EDSII, the first systematic exploration and ranking of how EU city ecosystems support the development and growth of DSI.

The European Digital Social Innovation Index (EDSII) is the first systematic exploration and ranking of how EU city ecosystems support the development and growth of digital social innovation.

This document contains the full methodology for the EDSII, including:

  • Development of the theoretical framework
  • Source selection and data gathering
  • Data checking and processing
  • Sensitivity analysis
  • Data visualisation
  • Challenges and limitations.

The EDSII ranks 60 European cities on 32 indicators which are important for digital social innovation (DSI) and tech for good to grow and thrive. The indicators are grouped into six themes: Funding; Skills; Civil Society; Collaboration; Infrastructure; and Diversity and Inclusion.

The EDSII aims to help policymakers understand how their cities are faring and where there is room for improvement, as well as to help DSI practitioners understand the features of different city ecosystems across the continent.

The EDSII finds that:

  • London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Paris are the cities with the most supportive ecosystems for DSI in the EU;
  • Western and Northern Europe dominate the rankings, with 28 out of the top 30 cities in these regions;
  • There is a weak to moderate positive correlation between known DSI activity in cities and their performance on the ranking. The report suggests six possible reasons for this, which should be investigated further in future projects.

Authors

Jonathan Bone

Jonathan Bone

Jonathan Bone

Mission Manager, healthy life mission

Jonathan works within Nesta Cymru (Wales), focusing on working across public, private and non-profit sectors to deliver innovative solutions that tackle obesity and loneliness in Wales.

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Codrina Cretu

Codrina Cretu

Codrina Cretu

Mission Manager, sustainable future mission

Codrina is mission manager for the sustainable future mission.

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Matt Stokes

Matt Stokes

Matt Stokes

Senior Researcher, Government Innovation

Matt was a senior researcher working on the collaborative economy and digital social innovation.

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