Research By Topic : Center for Social Innovation (CSI)

Articles : All | News Articles | Stanford Social Innovation Review Articles | Blog Posts

Topic :

Nonprofit Management, Social Entrepreneurship

The Miracle of Financial Inclusion

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

The founder of the Kashf Foundation argues that microfinance can improve the lives of Pakistan’s next generation.

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Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Philanthropic Practices

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

DO MORE THAN GIVE: The Six Practices of Donors Who Change the World by Leslie R. Crutchfield, John V. Kania, & Mark R. Kramer

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

What’s Next: Matchmaking for Philanthropists

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

Foundation Source Access, the new eHarmony for family foundations, gives smaller donors access to a wide variety of innovative funding opportunities.

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Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Social Entrepreneurship

Being the Only B

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

The owner of the only certified B Corporation in Kentucky assesses the pros and cons of the certification.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Socially Responsible Business, Environment

New Knight Management Center at the Stanford Graduate School of Business to Achieve Highest Level of Environmental Sustainability

The Stanford Graduate School of Business opens the Knight Management Center, a new facility of eight buildings around three quads designed to support an innovative MBA curriculum. The center is expected to achieve the highest LEED Platinum® rating for environmental sustainability from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Healthcare

In Africa and at Home, Supply Chains Are Getting Kinder and Greener

Solutions to supply chain problems from motorcycle parts in Africa to grocery delivery and solar power in the US were shared at the Advancing Socially and Environmentally Responsible Supply Chains Conference presented by the Stanford Global Supply Chain Management Forum and the Center for Social Innovation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion

Michael Harrison Named 2009 Davis Award Recipient

The award is the most recent recognizing his work. Harrison was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008, received the 2004 John von Neumann Theory Prize from the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), and the 2001 Lanchester Prize from the same organization.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Human Rights

SEIU Head Urges Unions "Join Today’s Economic Revolution"

"No single generation has ever witnessed so much change in a lifetime," SEIU President Andy Stern told a Business School audience, and unions must be part of that change.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Nonprofit Management

From a Crisis Emerges a Laboratory of Innovation

Stanford MBA students on a service learning trip advise small businesses in New Orleans. They partner with nonprofit the Idea Village to create a model program for business students from all over the world to provide pro bono business consulting services and become part of the rebirth of the city.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Economic Development

Spence Describes Developing World Growth

"There is, perhaps for the first time in history, a reasonable chance of transforming the quality of life and the creative opportunities for the vast majority of humanity," says Dean Emeritus Michael Spence, describing the report of the Independent Commission on Growth in Developing Countries, which he chaired.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Education

Lessons in Courage

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2010

Against all odds, the Afghan Institute of Learning educates women and girls in a war-torn society

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Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

What’s Next: Bite-Sized Goodness

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2010

In the time it takes to update your Facebook page, you could be making the world a slightly better place

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Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Social Entrepreneurship

What’s Next: Leap Forward for Social Enterprises

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2010

Designing social enterprises that can succeed on a national scale

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Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Nonprofit Management

Research: Interviewer Beware

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2010

When it comes to job interviews, presentation tactics—appearance, gestures, postures, flattery, and self-promotion—go farther than you think

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Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Human Rights

Airborne Peace

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2010

In Rwanda, Radio La Benevolencija uses soap operas to heal ethnic tensions

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Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Nonprofit Management

Nonprofits Can Partner On Back-Office Tasks

Collaboration among nonprofits could save money.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

This Is What Philanthropy Looks Like

The grassroots personality of new philanthropy.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Data, Data, Everywhere…But How Do You Find What You Need?

Figuring out what data is most useful for effective philanthropy is a massive challenge.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Privacy Matters

Donor information is being shared too freely.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Government, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Charity Regulation Needs Fixing

Nonprofits and affluent tax payers are socked by tax laws regulating foundation and charitable gifts.

Resource: Blog Post

Video/Audio : All | Audio | Video

Topic:

Nonprofit Management

Responding to H1N1

The issue of the H1N1 influenza pandemic remains a hot topic internationally as confirmed cases are reported daily and concerns about access to the H1N1 vaccine increase. In this audio interview from the Business Roundtable's Partnership for Disaster Response, Executive Director Larry Burton talks with The Brink's Company Chairman, President and CEO and Partnership Chairman Michael Dan. The two discuss the Partnership's recent responses to the H1N1 influenza pandemic.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Economic Development, Social Entrepreneurship

Promoting Entrepreneurship at Home and Abroad

A critical aspect of international development and the restoration of the global economy involves fostering entrepreneurship. In this panel discussion at a conference convened by the Hoover Institute at Stanford, experts and entrepreneurs discuss what it takes to create social and educational environments in the United States and abroad that support innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit. They consider what opportunities the world crisis has opened up for major transformations in every sector of the economy.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Economic Development, Government

Growing Entrepreneurship in Italy

The U.S. government is working to grow the "ecosystem" for entrepreneurship abroad as a part of its international development efforts. In this audio lecture, Richard Boly, a member of the U.S. Foreign Service, discusses how he managed a program of the U.S. embassy to promote entrepreneurship in Italy, a country steeped in bureaucracy and lacking engines of innovation. Speaking at a conference convened by the Hoover Institute at Stanford, he details efforts to connect entrepreneurs with the resources and role models they need to be successful.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Economic Development, Government

Entrepreneurship for Economic Growth

International development is increasingly dependent on the entrepreneurship of local citizens. But has the U.S.-caused global recession robbed American business and government of the ability to persuade other countries to partake of the capitalistic entrepreneurial model? In this panel discussion, part of a conference convened by the Hoover Institute at Stanford, experts discuss the role of entrepreneurship in economic growth worldwide.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Economic Development, Social Entrepreneurship

International Development Through Women

Microfinance has become a staple of international development. In this audio interview, Chetna Gala-Sinha talks with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman about how her micro-enterprise development bank and foundation are economically empowering rural women in India. She describes the various tools and services that allow women to become financially independent, provide more adequately for their families, and drive international development.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Environment, Government, Leadership

Al Gore: Leaders Must Supply Vision, Values & Goals

The Stanford Graduate School of Business View from the Top Series hosted former Vice President Al Gore where he spoke to over 600 students on leadership, solutions for the climate crisis, and sustainable capitalism.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Environment

Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Perspectives from California

California, the ninth largest economy in the world, recently launched a new carbon cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board, leads this program that could provide a model to support other regional or national efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Environment

US-wide Carbon Policy: Two MBAs' Perspectives

As part of the annual Conradin Von Gugelberg Memorial Lecture on the Environment, Mike Volpe, MBA '13, and Jake Saper, MBA '14, lay out an argument for a US-wide carbon policy.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Education

Education for Everyone

Co-founder Andrew Ng, also the Director of the Artificial Intelligence Lab and an associate professor in computer science at Stanford, presented at the Leading Education By Advancing Digital (LEAD) Symposium held at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in September 2012.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Environment

James Sweeney: A Sustainable Energy System

James Sweeney, director of Stanford's Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, discusses green cities at a Stanford GSB conference.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Education, Social Entrepreneurship

Educational Entrepreneurship

Educational entrepreneurs have made great strides, but they still have a long way to go. In this panel discussion from the NewSchools Summit 2010 conference, several prominent educational reformers, both local and national, share their wisdom. They discuss the radical change in education in New Orleans post-Katrina, the investment strategy and results of the NewSchools Venture Fund, and why it's important to have a political strategy to match your educational goals.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Business, Corporate Social Responsibility

The Role of Business in Disaster Response

Following the 2004 Asian tsunami, the business community saw a need to better coordinate how the private sector works with nonprofit and government relief and aid agencies to respond to disasters. In this audio interview, host Karl Matzke speaks with the Partnership for Disaster Response Chair and Brinks Co. CEO Michael Dan about how the Partnership leverages member companies' expertise and capabilities to accelerate on-the-ground support to address the most critical needs in time of crisis.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment

Environmental Sustainabililty and Water Supply

Is there a world water crisis? Yes, says water expert Peter Gleick in this audio lecture at the annual Conradin von Gugelberg memorial lecture on the environment at Stanford Graduate School of Business. To the list of environmental sustainability matters plaguing our planet, we can add the fact that we don't have enough fresh, clean water to do what we need to do, he asserts, which results in disease and death in many areas of the world. Gleick outlines the nature of the crisis and offers some answers.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Education, Social Entrepreneurship

Closing Achievement Gaps

Closing achievement gaps in public education is one of the most important civil rights issues of the century. In this panel discussion at the NewSchools Summit 2010 conference, education experts consider how activists and entrepreneurs may draw on lessons from the civil rights movement to address this critical social justice concern.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Nonprofit Management

Disaster Relief - How Can Business Help?

In their nonprofit management strategy, the American Red Cross recognizes businesses as key players in emergency preparedness and disaster relief efforts. In this audio interview, host Karl Matzke speaks with Joe Becker, the senior vice president of disaster services at the American Red Cross, who discusses how the national organization leverages the support of the business community to provide assistance beyond in-kind and financial resources, which is an approach applied by many in nonprofit management.

Resource: Audio

Case Studies : All | Academic Cases

Topics:

Nonprofit Management

Breaking New Ground: Using the Internet to Scale

Commissioned by KaBOOM! and authored by Katherine Fulton and alumna Heather McLeod Grant of the Monitor Institute, this case study looks at the challenges KaBOOM! faced and lessons the organization learned while pioneering an online strategy to scale its impact. This strategy involves giving away the nonprofit model online for free to empower others to act on KaBoom's behalf.

Resource: Practitioner Case

Topics:

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The Shea Value Chain Reinforcement Initiative in Ghana

In 2009, software giant SAP funded an initiative that aims to reinforce the shea nut and butter value chain in Ghana. The program, which also involves microfinance organizations PlaNet Finance, Grameen Ghana and Maata-N-Tudu, uses microfinance, education, and information technology to improve the conditions of shea women. Since enrolling in the program, women have seen significant improvements in income. This case study examines program progress to date and makes recommendations for program improvements using a value chain development framework.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Health Care, Economic Development

Can Oil Filters Improve Health Care?

For millions of people across Africa, motorcycles can be a key to effective health care. A well-maintained fleet of vehicles and motorcycles to connect patients, medical expertise, and medicine is sometimes the most vital link in the health delivery supply chain. A new case written for the Stanford Global Supply Chain Management Forum describes one successful program.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Social Entrepreneurship

Kiva.org and the Power of Storytelling

This case details the founding story of Kiva, with particular focus on the way that Jessica Jackley and Matt Flannery have stayed true to the original mission by telling authentic stories about entrepreneurs in East Africa, and how those stories have influenced lenders and fellows.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Education

The "Tipping Point" and Green Dot Public Schools

Green Dot is charter management organization that is bringing high-performance to Los Angeles, an area traditionally plagued by dismal graduating case. This case explores Green Dots the advantages and disadvantages of transformative strategy to reach a 'tipping point' in Los Angeles' educational community.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Social Entrepreneurship

The Siebel Foundation and the Meth Project

This case details the innovative work of business executive Tom Siebel, who launched the Meth Project in 2005 to 'unsell' meth to first time users in Montana. The program used an innovative research-based marketing campaign and has since scaled to other states.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Healthcare

Canary Fund and the San Jose Grand Prix (B): Results of the First Race

The Canary Fund supports the development of methods for early cancer detection. This second case presents the results of the sponsorship created to raise funding and awareness.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Healthcare, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The Kinetics and Michael J. Fox Foundations (B): New Directions

The Kinetics and Michael J. Fox Foundations both support research on Parkinson’s disease. This second case explores how these two organizations collaborate toward a common mission.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Environment, Nonprofit Management

Wild Salmon Center

The Wild Salmon Center was created to provide anglers access to excellent fishing in return for funding research and conservation. The case discusses the Center’s efforts to protect the pristine watersheds of the Kamchatka Peninsula by developing ecotourism to raise funds for conservation.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Social Entrepreneurship

Gardenburger

The CEO of Gardenburger, a seller of veggie burger products and other food alternatives to meat, considers the company’s advertising strategy. He aims to take the company from the small health-food niche to the consumer mainstream.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Government

Transparent Markets: Promoting Public Values Through Private Enterprise

Luis Moreno Ocampo, an attorney who had fought human rights abuses in Argentina, views corruption in public procurement as the next major human rights issue. He established a company to collect and distribute information on public procurements to make the entire process more transparent.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Education, Nonprofit Management

Coalition of Essential Schools

The new executive director of the Coalition of Essential Schools urgently needed to develop a new and sustainable fundraising strategy. He also faced other challenges around organizational structure, value proposition, marketing, and operations.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility

Nike: Managing the Non-Market Environment

In the late 1990s, Nike had to deal with allegations that its subcontractors were running sweatshops that were marked by poor working conditions, worker abuse, and below-subsistence wages. Nike responds to the public scrutiny, and takes actions that have an impact on the company and the brand.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The San Francisco Foundation: The Dilemma of 1998 The Buck Trust (A)

Upon her death, Beryl Buck left $7.6 million for various charitable purposes in Marin County, Calif. The case discusses what happened to the Buck Trust money and the constituents involved.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Asian Neighborhood Design A

The executive director of Asian Neighborhood Design, a housing and community development organization, attempts to quantify the potential financial and social return for investors in his nonprofit enterprise. The director applies innovative tools, including a true cost accounting framework and a social return on investment analysis.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Nonprofit Management

Career Action Center

The Career Action Center started as a nonprofit to help mid-life women reenter the workforce, but due to various demands found itself catering to men and individuals in a host of age ranges. The leadership realized it needed to address the contradiction in the organization’s mission as a center for women that was open to all.

Resource: Academic Case

Research Papers : All

Topics:

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Nonprofit Management

Supporting Equality in Education

How can a certain kind of behavior actually contributes to inequalities? Specifically, do children’s social-class backgrounds affect when and how they seek help in the classroom, thereby teasing out children’s own role in educational stratification? We consider how teachers may use such information to correct these dynamics, and thus contribute to more equal access for all children at school.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Government

Electoral Incentives and Partisan Conflict in Congress: Evidence from Survey Experiments

Does partisan conflict damage citizens’ perceptions of Congress? If so, why has polarization increased in Congress since the 1970s?

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Government, Healthcare

The Effect of Tax Preferences on Health Spending

Workers who earn just below the Social Security tax threshold receive a larger tax preference for health insurance than workers who earn just above it.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Healthcare

Using implementation intentions prompts to enhance influenza vaccination rates

Seasonal influenza leads to >200,000 hospitalizations and >8,000 deaths in the United States each year. The influenza vaccine is widely available at low cost and reduces mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs. Nevertheless, many of those for whom vaccination is indicated fail to comply with CDC recommendations for vaccination. If low compliance is the result of careful calculations by individuals weighing the costs and beneﬁts of vaccination, it may be difﬁcult and expensive for policymakers and organizational leaders to increase vaccination rates. However, if low compliance is the result of forgetfulness or procrastination, low-cost interventions that use psychological tools may be effective at increasing vaccination rates and improving public health.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Healthcare

Automatic detection of omissions in medication lists

[photo - Collaborative Filtering of Medication Lists]

Evidence suggests that the medication lists of patients are often incomplete and could negatively affect patient outcomes. By predicting drugs the patient could be taking, collaborative ﬁltering can be a valuable tool for reconciling medication lists.

Resource: Research Paper

Courses : All

Topic :

Healthcare

Biodesign Innovation: OIT 581/3

The two-quarter Elective Course series provides lectures from a diverse group of faculty that expose students to the practical aspects of technology invention and development. The class features a presentation or discussion from one of the guest speakers or faculty. Students work in small project teams in the Biodesign prototyping lab or bench space, collaborating with the fellows of the program.

Resource: MBA Course

Topic :

Social Entrepreneurship

The Power of Social Technology: GSBGEN 358

The goal of this seminar is to investigate how social technology (e.g., blogs, websites, podcasts, widgets, community groups, social network feeds) can change attitudes and behaviors in ways that cultivate social change. We study the strategies and tactics used by companies and causes that have successfully catalyzed social persuasion.

Resource: MBA Course

Topic :

Economic Development

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

Topic :

Social Entrepreneurship

Social Entrepreneurship: STRAMGT 369

This course focuses on the efforts of private citizens to create effective responses to social needs and innovative solutions to social problems. It equips students with frameworks and tools that will help them be more effective as a social entrepreneur.

Resource: MBA Course

Topic :

Nonprofit Management

Strategic Management of Nonprofits: STRAMGT 368

This course surveys strategic, governance, and management issues facing a wide range of nonprofit organizations in an era of venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. It introduces students to core managerial issues in the nonprofit sector, such as development/fundraising, investment management, performance management and nonprofit finance.

Resource: MBA Course

Innovators : All

Topic :

Kate Surman, MBA '04

Kate Surman, MBA '04, Administrative Director of Strategic Operations, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, discusses how she has leveraged the Public Management and Social Innovation certificate to take her career into a new direction.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Economic Development, Social Entrepreneurship

Farm to Cup Merger Emphasizes Partnership & Economic Empowerment

[photo - Farm to Cup - Root Capital Lending]

A grassroots student effort led by Caroline Mullen, MBA ’12, Catha Mullen, MBA ’13, and Monica Lewis, MBA ’12, now has even more impact through a merger with Pachamama Coffee Cooperative.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Environment

Water World

Leading a Social Innovation Study Trip lands Robyn Beavers, MBA '10, in a new industry.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Environment

Jeremy Sokulsky, MBA '04

Jeremy Sokulsky, MBA '04, President, Environmental Incentives, discusses how he's drawing upon the tools and training he received from the GSB to help make a difference.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Economic Development, Healthcare

Cross-Sector Effort Helps People See Better

Vision care is something that is practically taken for granted in the United States, but that’s not the case throughout much of the world. Some 300 million around the globe suffer from correctable vision loss, leading, as Ashanthi Mathai, MBA '04, says, “to people accepting their vision impairment and adjusting their lives around it.” The result? A lower quality of life, restricted job options, and even further economic distress.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Shared Value- Future of Green

This audio interview from the Environmental Defense Fund's Future of Green Calls covers complex interactions of the philanthropy sector, socially conscientious nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses with FSG Co-Founder Mark Kramer. Kramer outlines how corporate social responsibility (CSR) acts as a lever to minimize environmental harms done by daily business activities. Also covered are how natural resources are consumed by industries and a discussion about sustainability practices.

Resource: Audio

Topic :

Health Care

750 Pages of Tobacco Conspiracy

Stanford Professor Robert Proctor, the first historian to testify in court against the tobacco industry (in 1998), says the tobacco industry is not going anywhere and in fact, smoking-related health catastrophes and environmental impact are going to get worse.

Resource: Video

Topic :

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Social Enterprise Pioneer Scofield Created the World Bank for the Poor

Social enterprises hold potential to "effect the kinds of changes our society needs right now," social entrepreneur Rupert Scofield told a Stanford student audience.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Nonprofit Management

Susan Rothstein (MBA '78)

Susan reflects on her experience volunteering with a grassroots NGO in Cambodia and how she gained a new perspective on both the developing world and herself.

Resource: Innovators

Topic :

Cross-Sector Social Innovation

Resource: Audio

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Center for Social Innovation

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