Center for Social Innovation

Study Shows Stanford Alumni Create Nearly $3 Trillion in Economic Impact Each Year

A study by faculty members Charles Eesley and William Miller determined that companies founded by the university's alumni generate trillions in annual revenue and have created 5.4 million jobs.

Resource: News Article

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Why Peace Can Pay

An economist shows how financial innovation can help reduce ethnic violence.

Resource: News Article

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Hire Missionaries, not Mercenaries

James Gutierrez, MBA '05, discusses how he built Progreso Financiero, where he gets his best ideas, and the best advice he's ever received.

Resource: News Article

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Economic Development, Government, Human Rights

The Tough Math Behind Humanitarian Aid

A new study finds that a different approach to food-relief efforts in the developing world could save more lives.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Economic Development, Environment

The End of Cheap Oil Calls for a Balanced Approach to Energy Production, Stanford Scientists Say

Weaning America off fossil fuels and investing in renewable energy is the best path for the future, say Stanford researchers.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Study Shows Stanford Alumni Create Nearly $3 Trillion in Economic Impact Each Year

A study by faculty members Charles Eesley and William Miller determined that companies founded by the university's alumni generate trillions in annual revenue and have created 5.4 million jobs.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Why Peace Can Pay

An economist shows how financial innovation can help reduce ethnic violence.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Hire Missionaries, not Mercenaries

James Gutierrez, MBA '05, discusses how he built Progreso Financiero, where he gets his best ideas, and the best advice he's ever received.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

What’s Next: In India, Banking of Self-Service

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2011

Indian villagers struggle to safeguard their earnings and send any extra rupees back home. Can a specially designed banking machines called Tijori, which means “safe” in Hindi, finally provide them with a solution?

-Subscription Required

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Microfinance Needs Regulation

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2011

The volatile combination of profit-seeking microfinance companies, minimal competition, and vulnerable borrowers has opened up dangerous potential for exploiting the poor. The microcredit industry needs to be regulated—through policies that address transparency, high interest rates, and abusive loan recovery practices.

-Subscription Required

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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What’s Next: Namibia Experiments with Aid for All

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2010

The world’s first universal cash transfer program is in Namibia and provides cash with no strings attached

-Subscription Required

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Inequality Makes Us Anxious

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2010

THE SPIRIT LEVEL: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger by Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Bearing Witness

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2010

LOOKING FOR THE LIGHT: The Hidden Life and Art of Marion Post Wolcott by Paul Hendrickson

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Chinese Activity in Africa, Part 1: Feeding the Dragon

Chinese investment in Africa could mean new opportunities in goods, services, and employment.

Resource: Blog Post

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Multiplication Beats Division

Computer access costing less than $70 a person.

Resource: Blog Post

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Do Companies That Engage in BoP Markets Outperform the Market?

A new index is creating a benchmark for comparing large-scale companies serving the markets for the very poorest.

Resource: Blog Post

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Everything Old Is New Again, Apparently

The biggest idea in private-sector charity turns out to be slopping more effectively at the public trough.

Resource: Blog Post

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Social Entrepreneurship

A New Way to Respond to Natural Disasters

Better practices in disaster relief involve market-orientated nonprofit organizations, or social-mission-orientated, for-profit companies, playing a more prominent role.

Resource: Blog Post

Video/Audio : All | Audio | Video

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Healthcare

Disaster Response: Lessons Learned from Haiti

When disaster strikes somewhere in the world, what kind of leadership, nonprofit management, and supply chain expertise are needed? In this university podcast, Stanford professor of surgery, Paul Auerbach, shares lessons learned from the Stanford Emergency Medicine rapid response team's deployment in Haiti after the January 2010 earthquake. His experiences provide a glimpse in to how relevant groups may prepare themselves to better assist in future global catastrophes.

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Resource: Audio

Topic:

Social Innovations, Economic Development

Creating a World Without Poverty

In the world of international development, microcredit has become an increasingly important means of poverty alleviation. In this audio interview, Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Ashkon Jafari talks with Nobel Peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus about how he founded Grameen Bank to offer economic building tools for some of the poorest people in Bangladesh. Yunus shares lessons learned along the way, future directions, and what gets him up and motivated every day.

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Resource: Audio

Topic:

Economic Development, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

International Development Through Microfinance

Jessica Jackley is cofounder of Kiva.org, the nonprofit microfinancing website that allows people to promote international development and break the cycle of poverty by lending as little as $25 to a specific third-world entrepreneur. In this audio lecture, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Jackley talks about how she is revolutionizing philanthropy and inspiring a new generation of philanthropists through technology.

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Resource: Audio

Topic:

Economic Development, Education

Using Social Enterprise to Outpace Poverty

Hope Runs is a nonprofit social enterprise working in Kenya and Tanzania that uses athletics, education, and social entrepreneurship to empower AIDS orphans. In this audio interview, founders Claire Williams and Lara Vogel talk about how they have turned their idea of using marathon running to "outpace poverty" into a vital organization that partners with AIDS orphanages to have a real influence in children's lives. They discuss their model, how they use volunteers, and advice for social entrepreneurs.

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Resource: Audio

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Financial Crisis and a Changing Business World

The recent financial crisis has highlighted the interconnectedness among economies in today's world. In this audio interview, Stanford MBA student Lisa Scheible talks with James Wolfensohn, former president of World Bank, about how the crisis has changed the way global institutions and firms that are engaged in emerging market economies must operate to promote long-term development and prosperity.

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Resource: Audio

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Environment

Stanford's Guatemala Service Learning Trip, 2008-8

Global Management Perspective: According to Tom Mercer, the trip "gets you out of the classroom" and into practical situations. It also "... gives perspective of how to deal with global management."

Resource: Video

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Service Learning Trip to East Africa

Stanford GSB students explore innovative models for poverty alleviation in East Africa.

Resource: Video

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Human Rights

International Coffee Markets - Panel Discussion

Over 125 million people rely on coffee for their livelihood. What are Starbucks and the Fair Trade certification doing to help them out of the coffee crisis? This panel describes the mechanics of the global coffee crisis and explores strategies to address sustainability issues.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Economic Development, Environment, Social Entrepreneurship

Reducing Global Poverty

From disease control to global climate change, innovative business people are designing sustainable solutions to promote international development and reduce global poverty. Hear how this is happening from leaders in the field.

Resource: Video

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Innovative Design Saves Tiny Lives

Jane Chen, MBA '08, has a vision of a place “babies no longer die from being cold, where people no longer die from preventable causes. And where every person has the ability to choose [his or her] own fate.”

Resource: Video

Topic:

Economic Development, Education, Social Entrepreneurship

Developing Through Mobile Phones

"People can learn from mobile phones," says Sara Chamberlain, Head of Interactive for BBC World Trust and developer. She launched BBC Janala to "raise the language skills of 25 million people in Bangladesh by 2017". She speaks with host Sheela Sethuraman about how 3 million people already started learning English with in some cases the most basic handsets. According to Chamberlain, making English accessible affordably could be "a ticket out of poverty" for the people of Bangladesh.

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Resource: Audio

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Healthcare

Disaster Response: Lessons Learned from Haiti

When disaster strikes somewhere in the world, what kind of leadership, nonprofit management, and supply chain expertise are needed? In this university podcast, Stanford professor of surgery, Paul Auerbach, shares lessons learned from the Stanford Emergency Medicine rapid response team's deployment in Haiti after the January 2010 earthquake. His experiences provide a glimpse in to how relevant groups may prepare themselves to better assist in future global catastrophes.

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Social Innovations, Economic Development

Creating a World Without Poverty

In the world of international development, microcredit has become an increasingly important means of poverty alleviation. In this audio interview, Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Ashkon Jafari talks with Nobel Peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus about how he founded Grameen Bank to offer economic building tools for some of the poorest people in Bangladesh. Yunus shares lessons learned along the way, future directions, and what gets him up and motivated every day.

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Economic Development, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

International Development Through Microfinance

Jessica Jackley is cofounder of Kiva.org, the nonprofit microfinancing website that allows people to promote international development and break the cycle of poverty by lending as little as $25 to a specific third-world entrepreneur. In this audio lecture, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Jackley talks about how she is revolutionizing philanthropy and inspiring a new generation of philanthropists through technology.

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Resource: Audio

Case Studies : All | Academic Cases

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Topics:

Economic Development, Environment, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Acumen Fund and WaterHealth International: The Role of Venture Philanthropy

The Acumen Fund provides modest amounts of capital, combined with business expertise, to help build enterprises that would serve the poor. The case describes the fund’s approach to helping address water resource problems in developing countries.

Resource: Academic Case

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Economic Development, Nonprofit Management

Rural Development Institute (A): Should It Tackle the Problem of the Landless Poor in India?

The Rural Development Institute was established in the 1970s to alleviate poverty by securing land rights for the world’s rural poor. The organization was considering whether to enter India to work for land reform.

Resource: Academic Case

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Economic Development, Nonprofit Management

Rural Development Institute (B): Success in India

In 2000, the Rural Development Institute entered India. The organization had to modify its model to address the unique aspects of the situation in that country.

Resource: Academic Case

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Unitus (A): Microfinance 2.0 - Reinventing and Industry

Unitus focuses on accelerating the growth of the microfinance industry. This first case describes the Unitus business model for microfinance and whether or not the company should expand the capital it provides to partners through a debt or equity fund.

Resource: Academic Case

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Unitus (B): Microfinance 2.0 - Reinventing an Industry

Unitus focuses on accelerating the growth of the microfinance industry. While case A examined Unitus options to expand the capital it provides to partners, this second case reveals the decisions Unitus leaders made.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Economic Development, Healthcare, Nonprofit Management

PacifiCare's African American Health Solutions (AAHS)

By early 2006, PacifiCare's African American Health Solution had made significant headway in its two primary markets of Dallas and Los Angeles. Now the health insurance program had to define its purpose more clearly in the face of growing competition for the business of African Americans.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Economic Development, Healthcare, Social Entrepreneurship

Napo Pharmaceuticals

Napo was developing a compound to treat diarrhea while arranging an innovative public-private partnership to distribute it in the developing world. When that partnership proved difficult to arrange, the founder had to decide whether to continue pursuing it.

Resource: Academic Case

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Social Entrepreneurs: Correcting Market Failures

A new breed of entrepreneurs is prioritizing social impact over the creation of wealth. This video case examines the insights, aspirations, and impact of three leading social entrepreneurs and the challenges they face in distributing products and services in hard-to-reach places. It is meant to be used in conjunction with cases SI72 A and SI72 B.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Economic Development, Environment, Social Entrepreneurship

Waste Concern

Waste Concern in Bangladesh had earned an international reputation for its innovative approach to waste management in Dhaka. The organization needed to consider two opportunities to raise capital for expansion from large foreign firms.

Resource: Academic Case

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Social Entrepreneurs: Correcting Market Failures (B)

This case, part two in a two-part series, explores the challenge of distribution, particularly for nonprofit entities seeking to bring their products and services to hard-to-reach places around the world.

Resource: Academic Case

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Social Entrepreneurship: Banco Compartamos

Banco Compartamos has been providing microloans to the poor in rural areas of Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico, since 1990. It became one of Mexico’s most successful banks. Critics, however, claim that Compartamos departed from the true spirit of microfinance.

Resource: Academic Case

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Equity Bank, a microfinance service

Equity Bank, a microfinance services provider, experienced a remarkable turnaround in the early 1990s. What strategy did the CEO pursue to accomplish such a feat?

Resource: Academic Case

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Healthcare

Gilead Sciences (A): The Gilead Access Program for HIV Drugs

Gilead Sciences designs a strategy for delivering an AIDS drug to developing nations in Africa. This first part of the case describes the organization's initial considerations.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Healthcare

Gilead Sciences (B): Implementing the Gilead Access Program for HIV Drugs

Gilead Sciences designs a strategy for delivering an AIDS drug to developing nations in Africa. This second part of the case explores the company’s experience with a distribution program.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Economic Development, Healthcare, Nonprofit Management

Riders for Health: Health Care Distribution Solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Riders for Health is a U.K.-based nonprofit dedicated to the improvement of transportation systems for health workers in Africa. In 2007, after 11 years in existence, the organization was at a critical point and had to decide what strategies were necessary to expand.

Resource: Academic Case

Research Papers : All

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The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development

This paper discusses key findings of the Commission on Growth and Development’s report. It identifies ways developing countries can grow and how to encourage private investment.

Resource: Research Paper

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Death and Development in Africa

Analyzing a variety of cross-national and sub-national data, this paper argues that high adult mortality reduces economic growth by shortening time horizons. It finds that a greater risk of death during the prime productive years is associated with higher levels of risky behavior, high fertility, and lower investment in physical capital, and that adult mortality explains almost all of Africa's growth tragedy.

Resource: Research Paper

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Unleashing Africa's Potential

This article summarizes a session of the 2007 World Economic Forum on Africa, entitled "Unleashing Opportunity: A Blueprint for Africa's Growth." In the debate the president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, invited the business sector to engage governments in a frank discussion about the issues and challenges they face in investing in Africa.

Resource: Research Paper

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Taking from Those That Have More and Giving to Those That Have Less: How Inequity Frames Affect Corrections for Inequity

This paper provides evidence that individuals infer what people should have from the way inequity is described. In the reported experiment, participants give more to a subordinate actor when inequity is described in terms of “less than” rather than “more than,” and take more from a dominant actor when inequity is described in terms of “more than” rather than “less than."

Resource: Research Paper

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Governance in the Gullies: Democratic Responsiveness and Leadership in Delhi’s Slums

This ethnographic study examines the processes by which residents of Delhi's slums gain access to formal government services and develop their own (informal) modes of leadership.

Resource: Research Paper

Courses : All

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Strategic Thinking in Action - In Business and Beyond: STRAMGT 373

This seminar helps participants develop strategically informed action plans that are imaginative, inspiring, and workable in highly dynamic environments. Through informed debate and the writing and presentation of position papers, participants evaluate and hone their views on the seminar's critical themes.

Resource: MBA Course

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Design for Extreme Affordability: OIT 333/4

Students apply engineering and business skills to design product prototypes, distribution systems, and business plans for entrepreneurial ventures in developing countries. The aim is to address challenges faced by the world's poor.

Resource: MBA Course

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The International Economy: Policies and Theory: MGTECON 334

This course gives students an understanding of international trade economics, and analyzes the political processes by which international trade policy is determined. It combines lecture and mini-case studies.

Resource: MBA Course

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Growth and Stabilization in the Global Economy: MGTECON 300

This course gives students the background they need to understand the broad movements in the global economy. Key topics include long-run economic growth, technological change, wage inequality, international trade, interest rates, inflation, exchange rates, and monetary policy.

Resource: MBA Course

Innovators : All

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Leadership, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

Eric Weaver (MBA '92)

Eric shares lessons learned through his work at Opportunity Fund deploying over $200 million into California’s communities to create jobs and strengthen local economies.

Resource: Alumni

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Jacqueline Novogratz (MBA '91)

In turbulent times like ours, we need “hard-edged hope,” says Jacqueline Novogratz, the much-celebrated founder of the Acumen Fund. Affirming that the world is indeed a better place now than it was 40 years ago, she traces her own journey from a childhood witnessing racial inequities all around her in Detroit to a career leading the field of social impact investing.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Economic Development, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Brian Cox (MBA '93)

The poorest regions of the world pose high risks for microfinance. Brian Cox, President of MFX Solutions, discusses how currency risk education can increase the flow of resources to Africa and other high-risk regions.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Economic Development, Education, Nonprofit Management, Social Entrepreneurship

Cate Muther (MBA '78)

Women and economic development have long been the focus for Cate Muther. Here she shares thoughts on tackling complex and entrenched problems, the effort and relentlessness it takes, and the sources of inspiration that sustain her.

Resource: Alumni

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An interview with J. Charitha ("Chari") Ratwatte (MBA '09)

One of the first two Stanford GSB Social Innovation fellows, Chari works to provide economic opportunities to farmers in Sri Lanka.

Resource: Alumni , Fellow

Topic :

Economic Development, Government, Human Rights

The Tough Math Behind Humanitarian Aid

A new study finds that a different approach to food-relief efforts in the developing world could save more lives.

Resource: News Article

Topic :