Abstract

This study examines the evolving field of social innovation in the context of global uncertainty, sustainability transitions, and institutional restructuring. Building on recent systematic reviews and bibliometric mappings, the paper offers a critical synthesis of emerging theoretical directions and research trajectories. Rather than treating social innovation as a neutral or purely technical process, the study situates it within broader power structures, highlighting how dominant innovation discourses may inadvertently reproduce postcolonial exclusions and structural inequalities. The analysis explores the intersections between social innovation, sustainability agendas, public sector reform, grassroots initiatives, and cultural and creative industries. It also emphasizes the growing relevance of interdisciplinary methodologies—including critical discourse analysis, ethnographic inquiry, and participatory research—in examining agency, institutional transformation, and contested forms of social change. By identifying thematic patterns, conceptual tensions, and methodological developments in the literature, the paper proposes an integrative analytical framework that positions social innovation both as a transformative practice and as a discursive field shaped by power relations. The study contributes to clarifying ongoing conceptual ambiguities, strengthening policy relevance, and outlining future research pathways that support inclusive and sustainable social development.