Center for Social Innovation

Why Peace Can Pay

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

Resource: News Article

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Teaching the Teachers

A startup helps school-based instructors of math and English team up with digital teachers.

Resource: News Article

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Increasing the Bandwidth

U.S. schools are badly lagging in web connectivity; not because they aren’t connected, but because their pipes are too small.

Resource: News Article

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Offshore wind energy could power entire U.S. East Coast, Stanford scientists say

Adapting a sophisticated climate model, researchers show that there is plenty of wind available to supply half to several times the world's total energy needs within the next two decades.

Resource: News Article

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Scientists predict major shifts in Pacific ecosystems by 2100

Scientific models suggest that major Pacific ecosystems will move hundreds of miles by 2100 as a result of climate change. The results of this research could help officials manage the potentially significant impacts – on sea creatures and humans – of marine habitat shifts.

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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Stanford gathering explores why national security needs the humanities

Teaching the Teachers

A startup helps school-based instructors of math and English team up with digital teachers.

Resource: News Article

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Government, Leadership

Military leaders, Stanford scholars and government officials contribute to a congressional report on how the humanities factor into international relations and national security.

Resource: News Article

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Offshore wind energy could power entire U.S. East Coast, Stanford scientists say

Adapting a sophisticated climate model, researchers show that there is plenty of wind available to supply half to several times the world's total energy needs within the next two decades.

Resource: News Article

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Nonprofits, Nonprofit Management, Social Entrepreneurship

Increasing the Bandwidth

U.S. schools are badly lagging in web connectivity; not because they aren’t connected, but because their pipes are too small.

Resource: News Article

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Research: Nonprofits Aren’t More Commercial

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2011

A new study finds that nonprofits are not becoming more commercialized.

-Subscription Required

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Revitalizing Struggling American Cities

Focusing on Advocacy

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2011

The time is now for foundations, large and small, to engage in public policy.

-Subscription Required

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2011

Living Cities is working with five US municipalities to develop an ecosystem for solving urban problems.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Q & A: Chris West

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2011

Chris West takes a businesslike approach to philanthropy, looking for ways to leverage the assets of the Shell Foundation and its corporate parent to improve the lives of low-income people in the developing world.

-Subscription Required

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Arts, Culture, and Religion, Education

Ethical Philanthropy

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

GIVING WELL: The Ethics of Philanthropy by Patricia Illingworth, Thomas Pogge, & Leif Wenar

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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You’re Never Too Young to Change the World

High school kids restore faith in the next generation of social change.

Resource: Blog Post

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Arts, Culture, and Religion, Nonprofit Management

Nonprofit Advantage for Future of Twitter and Search

Twitter and Search prove promising to the nonprofit world.

Resource: Blog Post

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Government, Social Entrepreneurship

Social Innovation in the White House

The White House is about to announce the creation of the Office of Social Innovation.

Resource: Blog Post

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SkollFest Wraps

This blog is the last of Marcia Stepanek’s coverage of the Skoll World Forum 2009 at Oxford University.

Resource: Blog Post

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From Entry Level to Leadership: How to Join a Nonprofit Board of Directors

Board experience proves invaluable to leadership development.

Resource: Blog Post

Video/Audio : All | Audio | Video

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Health Care

Future of the Healthcare Sector

John Capek, Executive Vice President of Medical Devices at Abbott Labs, puts into context the impact of healthcare reform, on a global basis, on the delivery of technologies. His talk maintains a special focus on medical devices as he discusses the major trends that affect how Abbott considers technologies as they are brought into the market, and how companies in the healthcare sector are dealing with the current turbulent times.

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Resource: Audio

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Teaching with Interactive Simulations

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Resource: Audio

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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.

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Resource: Audio

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Cross-Sector Social Innovation

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Resource: Audio

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How to Cultivate the Best Teachers

Teaching is one of the most demanding and rewarding callings there is. So agree teachers and teacher advancement experts in this panel discussion. Speaking at the GS|SU Global Education Conference at Stanford, panelists talk about what their organizations are doing to support teachers, and the most successful efforts and investments aimed at recruiting, strengthening, and retaining our teacher corps.

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Resource: Audio

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Incentivizing Efficient Healthcare through Technology: Richard Migliori

"You are more likely to have your plan of care influenced by your zipcode than the stage of your disease," says Richard Migliori. "30% of our expenditures could be reduced if we have a normalization of this variation."

Resource: Video

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Medical Device Innovation

Problem: the only remedy for morbid obesity is invasive surgery. Innovation: an oral device that reduces obesity without an incision.

Resource: Video

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Service Innovation Panel

"Innovation isn't about a point in time, it's about creating sustainable change over time," says Paul Wallace.

Resource: Video

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Government, Healthcare

DC2VC Panel Discussion

Government representatives and venture capitalists came together to hear Stanford student teams speak about the barriers that routinely prevent healthcare innovations from getting to market.

Resource: Video

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Reducing Inefficiencies in Hospitals: Jay Deady

Resource: Video

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Arts, Culture, and Religion, Human Rights, Leadership

Cory Booker's 2012 Commencement Address

Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, challenges Stanford graduates to be courageous, never lose faith and always work together during Stanford's 121st Commencement. He extolls lessons from his own father and grandfather through stories of hardship, hope, and humor. Booker encourages graduates to find and join their own "conspiracy of love" -- people who will help lift them up in times of need, provide a community and challenge them to go beyond what they think is possible.

Resource: Video

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Education, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The Civic Impact of Youth Volunteerism

How are engaged citizens made? In this audio lecture, sponsored by the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Stanford sociology professor Doug McAdam argues that youth volunteering does not directly result in active citizens or a robust civil society. Instead, the responses to youth activism are varied and driven by historical and cultural context.

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Resource: Audio

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Arts, Culture, and Religion, Environment, Nonprofit Management

The Effectiveness of Message Framing to Influence Behavior

Most observers agree that human consumption is on a crash course with the environment. Although recycling programs have been implemented in many cities around the world, people often do not participate as often as they could. This research examines the effectiveness of messages that highlight the negative consequences of not recycling (loss frames) versus those that emphasize the positive consequences of recycling (gain frames) in influencing people's behavior.

Resource: Video

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Arts, Culture, and Religion, Health Care, Nonprofit Management

Using People's Irrationality To Do Good

Identifying effective obesity treatment is both a clinical challenge and a public health priority. Can monetary incentives stimulate weight loss? Leslie John presents a study that examines different economic incentives for weight loss during a 16 week intervention.

Resource: Video

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Education, Nonprofit Management

Remedying Group Disparities in School Achievement

Inequalities between socially marginalized and non-marginalized groups have led to poorer school and health outcomes for African Americans, Latino Americans, and other non-Asian ethnic minorities. Although many structural factors contribute to these inequalities, this study examines one psychological factor: concern about social belonging — a sense of having positive relationships with others.

Resource: Video

Case Studies : All | Academic Cases

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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

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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:

Corporate Social Responsibility

Serrot Corporation

Serrot, the plastics linings company, was moving into new markets. The founder faced management challenges associated with this transition, including labor and union issues.

Resource: Academic Case

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Corporate Social Responsibility

Wal-Mart: Nonmarket Pressure and Reputation Risk (B): A New Nonmarket Strategy

In 2002, Wal-Mart came under attack for its inadequate pay and benefits, and its negative impact on local economies. This case examines the steps the company took to improve its image.

Resource: Academic Case

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Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

Ashoka was a professional organization that identified and invested in leading social entrepreneurs globally. The organization faced challenges as it updated its mission to “make things happen in a bigger way.”

Resource: Academic Case

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Healthcare, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Canary Fund and the San Jose Grand Prix (A)

The Canary Fund supports the development of methods for early cancer detection. This first case describes the choice to sponsor a high-profile racing event to raise funding and awareness.

Resource: Academic Case

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Drug Eluting Stents: A Paradigm Shift in the Medical Device Industry

In the mid-2000s, drug eluting stents had been shown to significantly reduce restenosis rates and promised to be one of the most dynamic and complex segments of the medical device industry: explosive growth, product recalls, and intellectual property litigation, but also inter-industry collaboration.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Social Entrepreneurship

Green River Environmental

David Dodson started the septic company Green River Environmental after mixed results in his previous entrepreneurial ventures. This case tracks three difficult mangerial situations Dodson faced during his tenure as CEO and chairman of the company.

Resource: Academic Case

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Nonprofit Management, Social Entrepreneurship

Minnesota Public Radio: Social Purpose Capitalism

Minnesota Public Radio had evolved from a small public radio station to a network of 38 stations, mainly through social purpose capitalism. The founder came under criticism after creating for-profit ventures to support and build the enterprise.

Resource: Academic Case

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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

Topics:

Economic Development, Social Entrepreneurship

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

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Entrepreneurship

Note on Energy

Entrepreneurs and investors will find in this note a broad overview of the energy sector in 2008, highlighting trends and market dynamics.

Resource: Academic Case

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Overstock.com and Worldstock

Worldstock, Overstock.com’s socially responsible initiative, which marketed handicrafts produced by developing nation artisans to the United States, was suffering losses. Some stakeholders wondered if Worldstock would be shut down or spun off if the situation did not improve.

Resource: Academic Case

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Government

San Diego Padres: PETCO Park as a Catalyst for Urban Redevelopment

The San Diego Padres’ ballpark was the first integrated sports facility/development project ever attempted. While it proved to be a huge success for the Padres, San Diego, and taxpayers, there were many obstacles that had to be overcome.

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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The Electric Car: The Major Players

The case covers and analyzes the major players in the electric car industry, including start-up and established automakers, battery makers, retrofitters, utility companies and the government.

Resource: Academic Case

Research Papers : All

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HMO Coverage Reduces Variations In The Use Of Health Care Among Patients Under Age Sixty-Five

Professor Daniel Kessler of the Graduate School of Business and his co-authors examine differences in the use of health care services among young populations. They find significant variation, suggesting that spending on organization and management of health delivery systems may be warranted.

Resource: Research Paper

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Why Do Firms in Developing Countries Have Low Productivity?

In summary, we find evidence that firms in developing countries are often badly managed, which substantially reduces their productivity.

Resource: Research Paper

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Leadership

For Women Leaders, Body Language Matters

Deborah Gruenfeld of the Stanford Graduate School of Business had some sobering news to share with a group of high-level women executives and entrepreneurs. "When it comes to leadership," Gruenfeld told the group, "there are very few differences in what men and women actually do and how they behave. But there are major differences in perception.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Business, Socially Responsible Business, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment

Don't Tweak your Supply Chain - Rethink It End to End

The article examines environmental issues related to supply chains and supply chain management. Attempts to introduce sustainable practices into supply chains often meet with unexpected financial or environmental costs.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Socially Responsible Business, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment

Modern Management: Good for the Environment or Just Hot Air?

Establishments in better managed firms are significantly less energy intensive. Better managed firms are also significantly more productive. These results suggest that management practices that are associated with improved productivity are also linked to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Resource: Research Paper

Courses : All

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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

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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

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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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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

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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

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Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen (MBA '97)

Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen explains how to make your giving matter more.

Resource: Alumni

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Environment, Leadership

Yoriko Kishimoto (MBA '81)

As mayor of Palo Alto in 2007, Yoriko Kishimoto championed a call to action to build a green economy through innovation, including strategies for zero waste, walkable communities, renewable energy, green building, farmers markets, and open space.

Resource: Alumni

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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

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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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Leadership

Jonathan Reckford (MBA '89)

Jonathan reflects on the success that came from following his heart and his faith through a chain of experiences that led him to become CEO of Habitat for Humanity.

Resource: Alumni

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Simple Interventions Bridge the Achievement Gap Between Latino and White Students, Stanford Researcher Finds

A study shows how the effects of "stereotype threat" can be overcome by assignments that foster a more supportive environment.

Resource: News Article

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Creating Forces for Good in Nonprofit Management

Can smaller and local nonprofit organizations still have major impact? In this audio lecture from Stanford Social Innovation Review’s Nonprofit Management Institute, Heather McLeod Grant, senior consultant at the Monitor Institute and co-author of Forces for Good, shares successful strategies of high-impact nonprofits and how small and local nonprofits can apply them.

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Resource: Audio

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Network Mindsets in Nonprofit Management

Nonprofit management is shifting to develop a networking mindset. In this audio lecture, Beth Kanter, author and leader in social media for nonprofits, discusses how nonprofits can utilize their professional networks and develop a “network mindset.” During her presentation at the Stanford Social Innovation Review's Nonprofit Management Institute, she evaluates various tools and experiences in nonprofit management that can develop the relationships needed to create a successful network.

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Resource: Audio

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