Позитивные изменения. Том 2, № 3 (2022). Positive changes. Volume 2, Issue 3 (2022) - Редакция журнала «Позитивные изменения»

As stakeholder engagement practices, a communication channel should be prescribed to gather feedback for each target audience — this is important for defining project goals, visualize impact, and social change indicators.

• A problem is a part of reality that is to be changed by the project, which is formulated as detailed definition of the project framework (temporal, geographical and socio-demographic).

• The causes of the problem are the link between the problem and the social effects that the project is supposed to achieve. The problem is assumed to be a sufficiently abstract category, which can be detailed through the consideration of its causes to be addressed.

POSITIVE CHANGE MAP

The Positive Change Map consists of a bottom-up chain of results that will positively change the problem situation and a specific part of the target audience’s life.

Each link in the chain of results, as required by the standard for evidence-based social practices, is accompanied by indicators — an objective indicator of the degree of achievement of the stated goal. Transitions from outcomes to social effects and from social effects to social impact require justification — what specific materials justify the assumption that causality works in this specific way. Conditions and assumptions are also a must for every element of the positive change map. They describe under what circumstances the specified causal relationship is assumed.

• An activity is the very beginning of the social impact chain, what the project does, its activities.

• Immediate results are what the activity is aimed at. It is worth noting that performing an activity is not in itself a result. Conducting an event is not the result of the event, but simply an indicator of the activity. The results are the new qualities acquired by the target audience as a result of the activity.

• Social effects are the short- and medium-term effects of results given the conditions and prerequisites are met, lasting changes in the lives of target audiences.

• Impact is the long-term effects of social effects given the conditions and prerequisites are met. It is the connection between the project and the problem posed — what exactly the project contributes to solving it, how that contribution is measured, and what proves that it can happen.

The outcome of the Theory of Positive Change is a coherent map of results aimed at solving problems and their causes from the problem tree, with the respective indicators, rationales for logical relationships, and causal assumptions. A logical framework for the Theory of Positive Change methodology is presented below.

By the end of 2022, the Theory of Positive Change developed by the Factory will be available as an open online tool, enabling more projects to plan and evaluate social impact.

CONCLUSION

The theory of change is a tool for developing and managing positive social change projects. The methodology, first mentioned in 1997, according to its own principles, is in the process of continuous development. Over the past 20 years, the project documentation on the theory of change model has become a mandatory requirement for both impact investment and systematic evaluation of the social results achieved. In Russia, theory of change is just starting to be implemented and used as a basis for social impact. The Theory of Positive Change is presented as one of the steps toward the implementation of the theory of change methodology in Russia. An important factor in the dissemination of this tool, in our opinion, will be the creation of an easily accessible and convenient online tool for completing and visualizing the path from A to B — towards achieving greater impact of the project.

REFERENCES

1. Ringhofer, L., Kohlweg, K. (2019). Has the Theory of Change established itself as the better alternative to the Logical Framework Approach in development cooperation programmes? Progress in Development Studies, 19(2), 112–122. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464993418822882.

2. Archakova, T, Garifulina, E. (2020). Measuring Children’s Subjective Well-Being in Russia: Local Practices and Federal Strategies. Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes, 1, 276–295. https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2020.1.11.

3. Vun, G. (2021). Analysing the Credibility of Theories of Change. In Theories of Change, 41–49. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978–3–030–52275–9_3.

4. Noble, J. (2019). Theory of change in ten steps. London: New Philanthropy Capital. Retrieved from https://www.thinknpc.org/resource-hub/ten-steps (accessed: 21.09.2022).

5. Noble, J. (2021). Theory of Change in Ten Steps. Gladway Foundation. Retrieved from: https://impact.ngo.ru/library/view/51 (accessed: 21.09.2022).

6. Mayne, J., Rist, R. (2006). Studies are not enough: The necessary transformation of evaluation. The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 21(3), 93.

7. Shklyaruk, M. (2020). Application of Theory of Change to Accelerate the Implementation of Development Strategies in the Russian Federation. Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Retrieved from: https://rg.ru/2020/06/11/primenenie-teorii-izmenenij-uskorit-realizaciiu-strategij.html (accessed: 21.09.2022). (In Russian).

8. Kim, A., Kopytok, V., Filippova, Yu., Tsygankov, M. (2020) Application of Theory of Change to Strategic Audit and Strategic Planning in Russia. Moscow: Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, Center for Advanced Management Solutions. Retrieved from: https://ach.gov.ru/news/kak-ispolzovat-teoriyu-izmeneniy-dlya-strategicheskogo-audita (accessed: 21.09.2022) (In Russian).

9. Kuzmin, A., Kosheleva, N. (2014). Theory of Change: General Recommendations for Application (from the experience of the Victoria Children Foundation). Prospekt. Retrieved from: https://victoriacf.ru/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/909.pdf (accessed: 21.09.2022).

Исследования / Research Studies

«Одинокий волк» или эффективный бизнесмен? Сравнительный анализ образов социального предпринимателя в России, Казахстане и Беларуси

Наталья Гладких, Ольга Митина

DOI 10.55140/2782–5817–2022–2–3–56–69

Любое новое явление, приходя в нашу жизнь, проходит несколько стадий его принятия, понимания и интерпретации, постепенно обрастая операциональными смыслами — такими, которые отражают их применение в реальной жизни, в отличие от тех, которые указаны в словаре. Тем более сложно, когда эти явления относятся сразу к нескольким областям жизни и их множественным аудиториям — например, продавцы и покупатели, учителя и ученики, государство и бизнес, бизнес и НКО. Такая сложная судьба досталась и термину «социальное предпринимательство», в связи с чем поиск его операционального значения кажется важной и интересной задачей.

Наталья Гладких

Кандидат психологических наук, ведущий эксперт Центра технологических инноваций Института социально-экономического проектирования НИУ ВШЭ