Andrew Wolk, CEO and Founder of coalition member Root Cause, made a compelling case for the establishment of a Massachusetts Office of Social Innovation. Wolk’s op-ed, which appeared in the Boston Business Journal, highlights the historic role Massachusetts has played as a leader in social innovation, and calls on state government to once again to rise to the forefront of the evolving social innovation movement.

The public spiritedness and creative energy of Massachusetts citizens have often led to breakthroughs in the way we live. From being the first state to abolish slavery, to providing the first shelter for homeless women, to creating the program that became the model for AmeriCorps, the commonwealth’s citizens have been pioneers in social innovation.

Today − as the economic meltdown sends our social service providers scrambling to provide increased services with vanishing resources − Massachusetts should demonstrate civic leadership again, by establishing a state Office of Social Innovation.

Wolk applauds the emerging partnership between government agencies and social innovators, calling the movement “public innovation,” and urged Massachusetts to join the growing number of state and federal groups that are working with private sector organizations to create transformative social change.

There’s a small but growing band of public sector leaders across the nation who see government as a catalyst for innovative social entrepreneurs to expand social progress. Our state leaders should join this new band of “public innovators.”

There is a growing movement to find new ways to tackle old problems and champion what works. Massachusetts should harness this energy by establishing an Office of Social Innovation, putting into place policies to find and support unheralded, creative, successful models of social innovation that have the potential to make a big difference.

Wolk’s argument is both powerful and timely. Social innovation is gaining traction within the federal government: it‘s time for this emerging framework for social change to take root at the state level as well.

Read Wolk’s full op-ed here.