Social innovation in the Hungarian business sphere

The development of society in various ways is central to social innovation and corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR involves deliberate acts of companies, and can lead to social innovation either in themselves or through cooperation with other social stakeholders. The aims of this study are: (1) to describe the concepts of corporate social innovation and CSR, focusing on the relationship between them, and to introduce the features of social innovation in Hungary and (2) to use quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate how integration of the business sector and a broad layer of society can promote social innovation in a disadvantaged region. The empirical survey indicates that social innovation is needed for economic development of a region, since such innovations are capable of helping the business activity recover in disadvantaged areas.