ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on a wide range of literature from different disciplines such as the sociology of social problems, the psychology of complex problem solving, political science, urban planning as well as research on philanthropy and innovation. The sociology of social problems has developed different definitions of the term 'social problem', all of which are controversial. According to Kohn there is an inclination to consider only those problems as social problems that have a 'seriously negative impact on the lives of sizeable segments of the population'. Social problems may remain stable, but they need not. Some are moving targets, which change dynamically, independently of or parallel to the intervention, and in non-linear and unpredictable ways. Uncertainty is an essential property of problem solving as a kind of non-routine action and characteristic for innovation processes per se. Depending on the resources available to problem solvers, they may face four different liabilities, namely uncertainty, resistance, high costs and a lack of control.
