Dr. Filip Zieliński
Research Profile
Social Innovation | Impact Measurement | Networks | Social Capital | Civil Society
My research currently focuses on social innovations, social capital, impact evaluation methods, and inter-organizational networks. As a postdoc at the Center for Social Investment and Innovation (CSI) at Heidelberg University, I have been leading interdisciplinary projects since 2022 at the intersection of social science research, civil society, business, and politics.
Selected Publications
- Zieliński, F. (2025). Teilauswertung des DSEM 2023-2024 zur Wirkungsmessungspraxis in der Social Economy in Deutschland [Research paper]. Centrum für Soziale Investitionen und Innovationen, Universität Heidelberg.
https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00036682
- Zieliński, F., Mildenberger, G., Rabadjieva, M., Sauerbier, E., Terstriep, J., & Wruk, D. (2025). What are social innovations and how can their impacts be measured? Conceptualizing innovation field-specific impact models [Research paper]. Centrum für Soziale Investitionen und Innovationen, Universität Heidelberg.
https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00036317
- Zieliński, F. (2025, January 21). Guest blog: Using QuIP to evaluate impact networks. Bath SDR.
https://bathsdr.org/guest-blog-using-quip-to-evaluate-impact-networks/
- Zieliński, F., Weber, M., & Andres, L. (2025). QuIP-Wirkungsevaluation des Jazzverbands Baden-Württemberg e.V. Centrum für Soziale Investitionen und Innovationen, Universität Heidelberg.
https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00036069
- Zieliński, F., Mildenberger, G., Rabadjieva, M., Sauerbier, E., Terstriep, J., & Wruk, D. (2024). Was sind soziale Innovationen und wie lassen sich ihre Impacts messen? Konzeptionelle Grundlagen für innovationsfeldspezifische Wirkmodelle [Research paper]. Centrum für Soziale Investitionen und Innovationen, Universität Heidelberg.
https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00035636
- Zieliński, F., Rabadjieva, M., Terstriep, J., & Mildenberger, G. (2023). Wirkung sozialer Innovationen: Eine theoretische Annäherung. Forschung Aktuell, 2023(02). Institut Arbeit und Technik, Westfälische Hochschule Gelsenkirchen Bocholt Recklinghausen.
https://www.iat.eu/media/forschungaktuell_2023-02.pdf
- Zieliński, F. (2022). The "golden age" narrative of interwar Poland and its effects on democratization in 1989: A case study in history politics. Zeitgeschichte, 49(Special issue: Authoritarian regimes in the long twentieth century: Preconditions, structures, continuities – Contributions to European historical dictatorship and transformation research), 159–179.
https://doi.org/10.14220/9783737015028.159
- Zieliński, F. (2017). Demokratie erzählt: Geschichtspolitik im polnischen Parlament nach der Wende von 1989 [Doctoral dissertation, Universität Wien].
https://doi.org/10.25365/thesis.51825
Current / Completed Research Projects
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Since 01/2026 | Starting in January 2026, the "Social Innovation Observatory" project will launch as the successor to the ISI project, initially planned for three years and once again in collaboration with IAT Gelsenkirchen and ifm Mannheim under the leadership of CSI. |
Curriculum Vitae
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2013 – 2016 | PR and project officer (history and science) at the Polish Institute, Vienna |
2009 – 2012 | University assistant and doctoral candidate at the Doctoral College European Historical Dictatorship and Transformation Research, University of Vienna. Dissertation (Dr. phil.) in History, completed in June 2018 |
2004 – 2009 | Student assistant at the Zentralarchiv zur Erforschung der Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland, Heidelberg, and at the Institute of Sociology, Heidelberg (Prof. Helmut Anheier, Dr. Michael Hölscher) |
2003 – 2009 | Magister Artium (M.A.) in Sociology, History and Slavic Philology, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg. Thesis: „Der dritte Sektor in Polen nach 1989“ (The third sector in Poland after 1989) |
Teaching & Presentations
Teaching:
- MA course “AI-assisted content analysis with MaxQDA”, Sociology, Heidelberg University, winter 2025.
- BA course “Social Capital“ (in English), Sociology, Heidelberg University, summer 2025.
- MA course “Organizational Memory Studies” (in English), Sociology, Heidelberg University, summer 2022.
- MA course“Qualitative and quantitative content analysis” (in German), Sociology, Heidelberg University, winter 2021/2022.
- BA course “Content analysis as a scientific method” (in German), Media studies, University of Passau, winter 2012/2013.
Presentations:
- „„Qualitative Methods to Measure the Impacts of Networks“, Sunbelt Conference, INSNA, Paris, 23.–29. June 2025.
- „Evaluating Impact Networks with QuIP“, REvaluation Conference, Wien, 4.–6. Dezember 2024.
- „Measuring network impacts“, Congress of the German Society for Network Research DGNet, Darmstadt, 28.–29. October 2024.
- „Creating field-specific models for social innovation impact measurement: Conceptual framework“, 16th International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC), Bern, 2–4 September 2024.
- „Assessing the Third Sector’s contribution to Innovativeness in Structurally Weak Regions in Germany“, ISTR, Antwerp, 16–19. July 2024.
- „Impact Measurement & Management: Proving and improving the impacts of cultural organizations“, AEC Annual Congress and General Assembly, Den Haag, 9–11 November 2023.
- „Social Enterprises and Civil Society Organisations as key actors of regional resilience and innovative capacity in structurally weak regions“,9th EMES International Research Conference on Social Enterprise, Frankfurt am Main, 11–14 September 2023.
- „Between IOOI and tailor-made methods: A Proposal for the development of “middle-range” impact models“, 15th International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC), Universidade do Minho, Guimarães, 6–8 September 2023.
- „Tying back Social and Non-Social Innovation to Uncover Social Innovations' Dynamics and Impacts“, European Forum for Studies of Policies for Research and Innovation (EU-SPRI) Summer Conference, Brighton, 14–16 June 2023.
- „Voting on History. Laws Enacted by the Polish Parliament to Commemorate the Past (1989-2010)“, Images of Power / Representations of the Past, Initiativkolleg Europäische Historische Diktatur- und Transformationsforschung, Vienna, 7–8 November 2011.
- „Vom Nutzen und Nachteil der Geschichtspolitik – Geschichtspolitik als politics im Transformationsprozess Polens“, Brauchen Demokratien Geschichte? Arbeitskreis Politik und Geschichte in der Deutschen Vereinigung für Politische Wissenschaft (DVPW), Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Bonn, 1–2 July 2011.