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Working Paper 2: What does the concept of an ecosystem offer to social care? A narrative review of the ecosystem literature

Publication details This paper provides a narrative literature review of the concept of ecosystem. It considers how the concept has been applied to public services and the contribution this conceptual framework could make to our understanding of social care.

To cite: Burn, E., Needham, C. (2023) What does the concept of an ecosystem offer to social care? A narrative review of the ecosystem literature. Centre for Care Working Paper 2, CIRCLE, Sheffield: University of Sheffield.

ISBN 978-1-8382688-2-4
©The authors and CIRCLE, The University of Sheffield, June 2023

About the paper

In this narrative review we focus on adult social care, defined as support for people with age-related frailty, disability or mental health conditions and unpaid carers. This support may be provided by the state, the market, the family or the community, or some combination of these. The narrative review of the literature is underpinned by two questions:

1. How has the concept of an ecosystem been applied to public services, including social care?

2. What are the key insights (descriptive, theoretical, methodological) of the ecosystem literature that can be applied to social care?

The literature on ecosystems in public services share several key themes which we discuss in this narrative review. The themes include descriptions of what happens in an ecosystem, how ecosystems develop and change, and the wellbeing of public service ecosystems. We also consider how these themes can be applied to develop our understanding of social care.

Key findings

  1. The concept of an ‘ecosystem’ is often applied to public services, including social care, but with little precision about what it means.
  2. The lens of ‘service ecosystem’ offers a helpful framework and set of tools for understanding the complexity of social care provision.
  3. In service ecosystems, people integrate resources in ways that can create or destroy value.
  4. Given the challenges facing social care, there is an urgent need to understand the sources of value, and how value can be co-created and sustained.