Social return on investment: reflections on advancing the method within Cities & Health

Abstract

Social return on investment is a method which moves beyond merely return on investment and captures the complex nature of benefits derived from projects which are often unquantifiable (LSE 2019). It should be noted that there are numerous definitions and interpretations of the approach: it can be interpreted as a general approach, or a specific set of standards governed by Social Value International, or even as a ‘sustainable’ return on investment (see Bohmholdt 2014). The Social Return on Investment Network (2012) (now Social Value International) conceptualise it as: