Scholars from England and Denmark will discuss the relationship between financialisation and social innovation in contemporary welfare provision. While the financial crisis has accelerated reforms in welfare provision  in Europe, many of these changes had their origins in the 1990s. During this period categories of class and conflict were reframed as social constructs in a sociological turn in economic and political theory.  In practice the rejection of these categories was explained with reference to exogenous structural changes in society, economy and the state through phenomena like globalisation. Our thesis is that financialisation - the extension of financial practices, interests and norms into new places and levels of activity - offers a better explanation for how social support is now provided, how welfare is defined and how desert is understood. We will ask: how have the institutional innovations in social investment introduced in the pre-crisis period performed during and after the financial crisis? How have debates about the financial crisis reshaped the perception of social investment? How did the extension of financial practices influence the articulation of social policy need and interest both before and after the crisis? The small group brings researchers on the financial crisis with researchers on social innovation policies. They will share post Keynesian economics, international political economy and public policy to help understand how material interests have been reframed through financial innovations to change the role and meaning of welfare.  This will relink material with the social to enable sustainable welfare in Europe.