Social innovation and social business: investigation of the business model of the Brazilian housing program 'my house, my life'

摘要

The goal of this paper is to analyse the Brazilian Government Housing Program "My House, My Life" from the perspectives of social innovation and social business. Twelve in-depth interviews were performed with the housing Program's stakeholders. The following categories of analysis were defined: i) concept, legislation, metrics, and results of the program; ii) program business model; iii) financial profit equation and social profit equation. Although fulfilling the requirements of a social innovation initiative and offering large and significant social benefits, the Program cannot be characterised as a social business due to the need of constant Federal Government funding , and also because of the fact that its target group is treated as the program's beneficiary and not as a customer. The paper categorises the Brazilian housing program into social innovation schemas and discusses the suitability of these theoretical classifications in the praxis of a large developing country.