David Bornstein: How to change the world, social entrepreneurs and the power of new ideas January 28, 2005

From: Howard Oishi
To: Complex Systems Mailing List
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 15:38:30 -0500
Subject: Talk of Interest
Friday, January 28
1:30  3 pm
140 Lorch Hall*

David Bornstein, Author
How to change the world: Social entrepreneurs and the power of new ideas
(Oxford, 2004)

"How Social Entrepreneurs Make Change Happen: Stories about people whose
ideas are reshaping our world"

David Bornstein will discuss the emergence of the field of social
entrepreneurship and its impact on societies, institutions and
individuals around the world. Over the past 25 years, there has been a
dramatic transformation in the global social arena -- with the growth of
millions of new citizen-led organizations that are redefining how
societies are addressing problems from environmental threats to health
crises to educational needs to poverty. The emergence of this vibrant
and dynamic "citizen sector" -- in which independent change-makers and
their organizations are the leading proponents of new ideas and
innovations -- represents a historical turning point in the way
societies initiate, support and systematically orchestrate social
change. These changes -- still under-appreciated -- present new
opportunities for spirited individuals of all ages from all fields who
seek to apply their talents to improve society. The discussion will
explore these changes with references to several examples from different
countries. It will show what social entrepreneurs do and how their
actions affect us. It will look at their role in history and the
changing socio-political context that has allowed them to flourish in
recent decades. And it will describe the personal qualities that allow
individuals to become effective change agents, while outlining some of
the challenges societies face in fostering this kind of leadership.
Because social entrepreneurs around the world are engaging similar
problems -- for example, improving the interactions between people and
the environment, helping children to develop the skills of empathetic
ethics, creating opportunities for excluded minorities and people with
disabilities, helping to make democratic processes more effective -- it
is possible today to find cross-cultural patterns in the strategic
insights that make them effective. "Education," wrote Vaclav Havel, "is
the ability to perceive the hidden connections between phenomenon." The
discussion will look at some of the hidden connections in the "citizen
sector" and the field of social entrepreneurship -- connections that can
offer understanding about the evolution of global society as well as
practical insights about how to build a better world