Evaluating social innovation for meaningful social change: A critical perspective from social work in Portugal

Abstract

Commitment to social change has long been central to social work. Yet, under neoliberal governance, social intervention has become increasingly organised through project-based funding that privileges measurable outcomes, accountability and efficiency. In Portugal, the growing prominence of social innovation within public policy and European funding agendas has reinforced these dynamics, requiring non-profit organisations to redesign projects that align with funders’ expectations while ensuring organisational sustainability. This article critically examines the relationship between project-based funding, evaluation and social work practice in Portugal. Drawing on an ongoing postdoctoral study, it analyses social intervention projects funded through public initiatives that promote social innovation and the social investment market. Adopting a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with social workers and evaluation specialists. Findings show that dominant evaluation frameworks, informed by New Public Management and evidence-based managerial approaches, privilege short-term, measurable outputs over relational, participatory and structural social change. Participants highlighted tensions between organisational missions, professional ethics and funding requirements, particularly the pressure to translate complex social realities into quantifiable indicators. The article advocates participatory, relational and human-development-oriented evaluation approaches that reconnect assessment with the ethical, political and community-centred purposes of social work, contributing to debates on social innovation, professional autonomy, evidence-based practice and transformative intervention.