The Power of Social Innovation
How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite Community Networks for Good
1st Edition
Published on 19. March 2010
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-470-57684-7 (ISBN)
Description
THE POWER of SOCIAL INNOVATION
Civic leaders across the U.S. and throughout the world are discovering creative ways to overcome the obstacles that seal the doors of opportunity for too many.
These inspiring individuals believe that within our communities lie the entrepreneurial spirit, compassion, and resources to make progress in such critical areas as education, housing, and economic self-reliance. Real progress requires that we take bold action and leverage our strengths for the greater good.
The Power of Social Innovation offers public officials, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and individual citizens the insights and skills to create healthier communities and promote innovative solutions to public and social problems. This seminal work is based on Stephen Goldsmith's decades of experience, extensive ongoing research, and interviews with 100+ top leaders from a wide variety of sectors.
Goldsmith shows that everyday citizens can themselves produce extraordinary social change. The book explores the levers and guiding principles used by champions of civic progress who drive new organizations, new interventions, or new policies to enhance social conditions.
The Power of Social Innovation features illustrative case studies of change-oriented philanthropists, public officials, and civic leaders. While all collaborate across sectors, they run both start-ups and established organizations such as the New York City public schools, United Way of America, the United Negro College Fund, and Teach For America. The book shows the catalyzing role each plays in transforming a community's social service delivery systems.
To complement the book's myriad tools and case studies,The Power of Social Innovation web site (www.powerofsocialinnovation.com) provides links to relevant Harvard research as well as additional helpful resources.
Civic leaders across the U.S. and throughout the world are discovering creative ways to overcome the obstacles that seal the doors of opportunity for too many.
These inspiring individuals believe that within our communities lie the entrepreneurial spirit, compassion, and resources to make progress in such critical areas as education, housing, and economic self-reliance. Real progress requires that we take bold action and leverage our strengths for the greater good.
The Power of Social Innovation offers public officials, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and individual citizens the insights and skills to create healthier communities and promote innovative solutions to public and social problems. This seminal work is based on Stephen Goldsmith's decades of experience, extensive ongoing research, and interviews with 100+ top leaders from a wide variety of sectors.
Goldsmith shows that everyday citizens can themselves produce extraordinary social change. The book explores the levers and guiding principles used by champions of civic progress who drive new organizations, new interventions, or new policies to enhance social conditions.
The Power of Social Innovation features illustrative case studies of change-oriented philanthropists, public officials, and civic leaders. While all collaborate across sectors, they run both start-ups and established organizations such as the New York City public schools, United Way of America, the United Negro College Fund, and Teach For America. The book shows the catalyzing role each plays in transforming a community's social service delivery systems.
To complement the book's myriad tools and case studies,The Power of Social Innovation web site (www.powerofsocialinnovation.com) provides links to relevant Harvard research as well as additional helpful resources.
Reviews / Votes
"This book is a sort of bible of social innovation, full of examples of social entrepreneurs' successes. It sets out both the potential of the partnership approach and the huge difficulties it will have to overcome." (The Economist, August 2010) "Lots of people talk about 'reinventing government.' Steve Goldsmith has actually done it" (Wall Street Journal, July 31, 2010)More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
John Wiley & Sons Inc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Paper over boards
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
598 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-470-57684-7 (9780470576847)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Stephen Goldsmith | Gigi Georges | Tim Glynn Burke
The Power of Social Innovation
How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite Community Networks for Good
E-Book
02/2010
Jossey-Bass
€36.99
Available for download
Stephen Goldsmith | Gigi Georges | Tim Glynn Burke
The Power of Social Innovation
How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite Community Networks for Good
E-Book
02/2010
Jossey-Bass
€36.99
Available for download
Persons
STEPHEN GOLDSMITH is the Daniel Paul Professor of Government and the Director of the Innovations in American Government Program at Harvard Kennedy School. Goldsmith, himself an entrepreneur, occupies the unique position of having approached these issues as a national leader across sectors. He served two terms as Mayor of Indianapolis, where his transformative efforts to revitalize urban neighborhoods and to transfer real authority to community groups received national acclaim. Goldsmith then led reform as special advisor to President Bush on faith-based and nonprofit initiatives, and has served under both Presidents Bush and Obama as chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Goldsmith has written many articles and several books, including Governing by Network, winner of the National Academy of Public Administration's Louis Brownlow Book Award.
Content
Acknowledgments ix
The Author xi
Foreword xiii
Preface xvii
Part I: Catalyzing Social Change 1
Chapter 1 Igniting Civic Progress 3
Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Change 4
So Many Ideas, So Little Progress 6
Civic Entrepreneurship as the Solution 12
Igniting Civic Progress 17
The Mandate and Caution of Engaging Government 20
Conclusions 24
Chapter 2 Innovation as Catalytic Ingredient 27
Discovering the Missing Ingredient 30
Choosing the Right Catalyst 36
Bringing It All Together: The Nehemiah Foundation 58
Conclusions 61
Part II: Market Maker as Civic Entrepreneur 65
Chapter 3 Open Sourcing Social Innovation 67
Breaking Down Protectionist Barriers 69
Opening Space for Innovation 73
Leveling the Playing Field 79
Inviting the Exceptional 82
Forcing Cultural Change 85
Bringing It All Together: The Enlightened Monopolist 90
Conclusions 97
Chapter 4 Trading Good Deeds for Measurable Results 101
Current Funding Limitations 103
What Public Value are We Purchasing? 106
Are the Funded Activities Still the Most Relevant? 111
What Change Does the Community Want and What Assets Can It Mobilize? 114
Are We Funding a Project or Sustainable System Change? 116
What Will We Measure? 120
Bringing It All Together: Linda Gibbs 125
Conclusions 126
Part III: Service Provider as Civic Entrepreneur 131
Chapter 5 Animating and Trusting the Citizen 133
Balancing the Professional with the Public 135
Building a Public 139
Leveraging Social Media for Change 149
"Client" Choice 153
Curing the Expectation Gap 157
Bringing It All Together: Family Independence Initiative 160
Conclusions 165
Chapter 6 Turning Risk into Reward 169
Seeing Opportunity Where Others See Liability 171
Taking First Risk 172
Fully Calculating Cascading Return on Investment 182
Political Risk and Reward 184
Bringing It All Together: Wraparound Milwaukee 192
Conclusions 195
Chapter 7 The Fertile Community 197
The Fertile City (and the Entrepreneurial Mayor) 199
Civic Entrepreneurs and School Reform 202
Entrepreneurial Community Solutions 214
Staying Entrepreneurial: Saving Yourself from Success 221
The Future 222
Notes 225
References 255
Index 265
The Author xi
Foreword xiii
Preface xvii
Part I: Catalyzing Social Change 1
Chapter 1 Igniting Civic Progress 3
Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Change 4
So Many Ideas, So Little Progress 6
Civic Entrepreneurship as the Solution 12
Igniting Civic Progress 17
The Mandate and Caution of Engaging Government 20
Conclusions 24
Chapter 2 Innovation as Catalytic Ingredient 27
Discovering the Missing Ingredient 30
Choosing the Right Catalyst 36
Bringing It All Together: The Nehemiah Foundation 58
Conclusions 61
Part II: Market Maker as Civic Entrepreneur 65
Chapter 3 Open Sourcing Social Innovation 67
Breaking Down Protectionist Barriers 69
Opening Space for Innovation 73
Leveling the Playing Field 79
Inviting the Exceptional 82
Forcing Cultural Change 85
Bringing It All Together: The Enlightened Monopolist 90
Conclusions 97
Chapter 4 Trading Good Deeds for Measurable Results 101
Current Funding Limitations 103
What Public Value are We Purchasing? 106
Are the Funded Activities Still the Most Relevant? 111
What Change Does the Community Want and What Assets Can It Mobilize? 114
Are We Funding a Project or Sustainable System Change? 116
What Will We Measure? 120
Bringing It All Together: Linda Gibbs 125
Conclusions 126
Part III: Service Provider as Civic Entrepreneur 131
Chapter 5 Animating and Trusting the Citizen 133
Balancing the Professional with the Public 135
Building a Public 139
Leveraging Social Media for Change 149
"Client" Choice 153
Curing the Expectation Gap 157
Bringing It All Together: Family Independence Initiative 160
Conclusions 165
Chapter 6 Turning Risk into Reward 169
Seeing Opportunity Where Others See Liability 171
Taking First Risk 172
Fully Calculating Cascading Return on Investment 182
Political Risk and Reward 184
Bringing It All Together: Wraparound Milwaukee 192
Conclusions 195
Chapter 7 The Fertile Community 197
The Fertile City (and the Entrepreneurial Mayor) 199
Civic Entrepreneurs and School Reform 202
Entrepreneurial Community Solutions 214
Staying Entrepreneurial: Saving Yourself from Success 221
The Future 222
Notes 225
References 255
Index 265