Abstract:
Entrepreneur success research suffers from a lack of consistency in defining the scope of Social
Innovation plays a prominent role in rural development of many developing countries. Sri Lanka is a
developing country with unique attributes and resources, Day-by-day social innovation becomes a
crucial indicator for improving the quality of life of the people in rural areas. This study aims to
assess the roles and functions of social innovations that have been undertaken in rural areas of
Mullaitivu District. Main focus of this research is to analyze the impact of social innovation in rural
development. A sample of 45 households who were engaged with social innovation practices was
drawn using convenience sampling for a qualitative study. Primary data were collected by conducting
semi-structured interviews. The researcher has used thematic analysis method to analyze the data,
using Microsoft Excel 2013 software. It was found that rural people with poor economic condition in
Mullaitivu District are encouraged to participate in social innovation practices and the findings
revealed that more favorable perceptions of the economic, social and environmental impacts lead to
greater support in their livelihood and the economic condition. Social innovation impacts in
individual empowerment by fostering human development and social protection. Also social
innovation positively impacts on community development by enhancing the quality of life
economically and non-economically. It is a clear statement that the roles and impacts of social
innovation is crucial to support rural development and to support village economy. Participants are
willing to engage in social innovation, thus it is necessary to take proper actions to promote social
innovations for further development of rural areas.
Keywords: Social problems; Innovation; Social Innovation; Living condition; Rural development
