How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideass
Bornstein, David (2004).
New York: Oxford University Press; 256 pages. $30. ISBN 0195138058.
In the past few decades, fast-paced changes have rendered many of our working assumptions about economics, politics, social justice, government, governance, environment, and management irrelevant or obsolete. The social entrepreneurs have questioned these assumptions, challenged the systems and have tried to introduce new ideas. The book highlights the power of individuals with vision, passion, and indomitable will to pursue an idea for bringing about social changes that can improve quality of life for the poor and the vulnerable.
Jeroo Billimoria has changed the lives of millions of street and working children in India by establishing “Childline,” giving them access to health care, counseling and support services. Also in India, Javed Abidi has struggled to get the Disability Act passed and to get the government to implement the Act, contributing to new ways of understanding and addressing disability issues in that country.
J.B. Schramm from the United States has provided access to thousands of able and eager youth from families with limited education and economic means, by facilitating changes in the way the college aspirants are assessed. Vera Cordiro from Brazil created a new system for post-hospital care for children, thereby reducing hospitalization costs for thousands of poor families and easing the pressure on the hospital system.
Veronica Khosa created a chance for thousands of AIDS patients to “die in dignity” by developing community-based care for the patients with the involvement of local youth in South Africa. Erzsebet Szekers dared to experiment with “assisted living” for the disabled, when the government of communist Hungary had no strategy to deal with disability except to place the disabled in institutions.
Though there are thousands of such experiences found around the world, Bornstein introduces a few entrepreneurs who have managed to scale up their efforts beyond their local limits to national and global levels. All the entrepreneurs referred to in the book are among the 1400 Ashoka Foundation “fellows” who have made demonstrated advances in education, environmental practices, rural development, poverty alleviation, human rights, health care, care for disabled, care for children at risk, and other fields.
All the stories provide glimpses into the personal life, personality traits, and motivations of the entrepreneur. Several of them are highly educated in Ivy League colleges, yet chose social entrepreneurship over corporate sector work. Many others, however, have very little education and few contacts or resources, and yet made their mark as social entrepreneurs. These stories constantly remind the reader that it is the idea and the perseverance to achieve results that counts.
The experiences of the entrepreneurs are narrated in an easy, energetic style that enables the reader to visualize the situations as they are described. Students, researchers, aspiring social entrepreneurs and citizens’ organizations would find it rewarding reading. Interweaving the stories with information on Ashoka Foundation’s values and policies helps the reader to understand the philosophy of the foundation. Through the interviews and narrations, the author makes it amply clear that to be a successful social entrepreneur, good intentions are not enough. Entrepreneurs have to be very professional and inventive to survive, sustain and lead.
What exactly are the roles of social entrepreneurs and governments in addressing social changes? Are they mutually exclusive? The author acknowledges that financial support and legitimacy from the government is crucial for scaling up entrepreneurial efforts to national and global levels. Yet at the same time, he conveys an impression that the social entrepreneurs have succeeded where governments have failed to provide comprehensive solutions to social problems. This raises the question: can social entrepreneurs be expected to fulfill the government’s primary responsibility to bring social changes?
Undoubtedly, the citizen sector is growing very fast and social entrepreneurs have demonstrated great success in bringing hope, dignity and self-determining capacity to millions. Yet, the organizations in this sector face continuous challenges in terms of gaining legitimacy from governments, communities and donors, all necessary to ensure implementation of appropriate legislation, retain staff, build second-line leadership, introduce professional management systems and above all, find adequate resources on a sustainable basis. Despite the success stories, exclusively NGO-driven social changes have as many limitations as exclusively government-driven changes.
Under these circumstances, the social entrepreneurs can contribute best as vehicles for social R&D, developing evidence-based models as input for public policy and keeping up the pressure on governments for action, transparency and accountability.
The author also seems to raise the question of the applicability and reliability of the blueprint-copying approach to the social sector. Yet, he suggests that “a greater focus on blueprint copying would likely produce faster social innovation and better adaptation to new problems.” This is a contradiction to the concept of social entrepreneurship itself. In his book The Rapids of Change: Social Entrepreneurship in Turbulent Times (Knowledge Systems, Inc. 1987), Robert Theobald says, “we need to break out of our current pattern of finding super-sophisticated solutions to super–obsolete questions. We need new types of groups which concentrate on defining today’s relevant questions.” This holds good today also. Blueprints can be obsolete and may not suit the local cultural, social, legal and environmental contexts. Social entrepreneurs will have to think globally but act locally for resolving local issues.
Reviewer Information
Independent Social Development Consultant
Lalitha Iyer received her Masters in Economics from University of Madras, India. She is an independent social development consultant. Currently working as a consultant-advisor to the NGO Division of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, she provides input on policy issues related to NGOs working in the health sector as well as increasing interaction and collaboration opportunities between NGOs and the national and state governments. Her work experience in the development sector spans over 25 years, including national and international NGOs, and bilateral and multilateral agencies, both at program and policy levels. She has taught economics at the graduate level in India and for a degree program in Inter-Cultural Management in the USA. Her major interests include adolescent reproductive health care issues, promoting youth participation in development processes, gender issues, participatory research, and training.