The Mediterranean Lab for Co-production 

of Social Innovation

MedTOWN

MedTOWN Project

MedTOWN is a social innovation project that supports the role and capacities of the SSE actors in fighting poverty, inequality, social exclusion and environmental unsustainability through the research and experimentation of a SSE based co-production model. It aims at improving the legal and regulatory framework of co-production initiatives and at promoting the use of public complementary e-currencies for the provision of social services and financial aid.

The 3 pilars of MedTOWN's activity

Training & Capacity Building Support

MedTOWN will insure specific technical support and training to mentor and accompany the design of private-public partnerships for the provision of social services fully equipped with effective tools and capacities. Training material will be developed for capacity building & facilitation skills.

Social experimentation Action Research Monitoring & Evaluation

The initiative is based on Action Research to support the design of effective public policies on the provision of social services. To that effect a series of experimental actions deploying a co-production model will be undertaken aiming to increase the effectiveness of social services delivery and as test-monitoring of results for policy design.

Policy Dialogue & Networking

MedTOWN will engage the participating through the MedTOWN Community of Practice, which will host group discussion tables among researchers, policy makers and legal experts, online training sessions for facilitators, SSE actors and NGO practitioners’, strategic conferences, study visits and exchanges, synergies and networking with other relative initiatives and projects to elaborate studies, papers, seminars, workshops and policy recommendations, in order to develop a joint framework approach of co-production of social policies in the Mediterranean basin.

Co-Production, a model for fair and sustainable societies

The main objective of MedTOWN is to promote co-production initiatives for municipal policies in collaboration with Social and Solidarity entities in the Mediterranean basin.

Co-production empowers citizens by collaborating in the development,
design and delivery of a specific public policy, together with public authorities.

Co-production generates more resilient and sustainable societies, as participation enables citizens to include their concerns and and social inclusion as it increases their sense of belonging, improves social cohesion and builds social capital. Meanwhile, the process is more cost-effective for the administration, guaranteeing the traceability of public money, verifying the suitability of the expenditure in a fast and constant way, and at the same time simplifying the administrative work, shortening the circuit in time by saving steps in the procedure between the administration and the people using the service.

Total budget 3,4 million 86,5% EU contribution

6 Demostrative actions 10 Pilot projects

9 Partners 8 Associated Partners

48 Months duration (2019-2023)

Multiplier effect Complementary Currencies

The use of these instruments can turn an aid programme into a programme of economic revival.
Local and citizen currencies amplify the economic impact of a subsidy given to citizens, promoting its use in the local commerce and encouraging recirculation in the local economy itself, which increases the multiplier effect of public spending.

Using municipal e-money payment methods to activate local commerce and to ensure that local public aid not only covers the basic needs of the population, but also multiplies the economic impact of public spending thanks to the recirculation of money in the local economic circuit.