Lessons in Courage
Against all odds, the Afghan Institute of Learning educates women and girls in a war-torn society.
Economic Development - Most Popular
Social innovations that improve the living standards of the poor (more)
Podcast
Priya Haji - Creating a Social Enterprise
When Priya Haji put her mind to helping reduce global poverty, social entrepreneurship took a quantum leap. In this university podcast, sponsored by the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, the plucky founder of World of Good shares how she created a social enterprise that now empowers women in communities around the world by helping them sell their artisan goods in stores and online. She talks about strategies for using educated consumer choice and inspiring business competition to do good.
Strength Through Flexibility
Over the past 17 years, the Forum for African Women Educationalists has delivered high-quality education to millions of girls across 35 African countries.
Don’t Give Money to Haiti Now
Instead of sending the money all at once, donors should create a plan to stagger and guarantee funding for years to come.
Podcast
Martin Eakes - Responsible Investing in Community Banking
Responsible investing begins in local, underserved communities. In this education podcast, CEO Martin Eakes talks about how his organization, Self-Help, has provided almost $6 billion in financing to more than 60,000 homebuyers, small businesses, and nonprofits, and how it is serving thousands of low-income families through retail credit union branches. Eakes' presentation is an inspiring rallying cry for redirecting resources to those who can benefit the most. His talk is part of a discussion sponsored by the Center for Social Innovation.
Review
Social Innovations
Women Hold Both Sky and Solutions
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof
Podcast
Hoover Conference - Promoting Entrepreneurship Abroad
While the United States has been a leader in global entrepreneurship, other countries are also getting in on the act. But the movement abroad has not been without its struggles. In this panel discussion at a conference convened by the Hoover Institute at Stanford, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs talk about what it takes to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem in a variety of countries. They look at challenges as well as lessons from nations that have been particularly successful in creating startups, such as India and Taiwan.
Podcast
Mark Pinsky - Social Enterprise and Community Development
In the social enterprise sector, community development financial institutions have become important vehicles for advancing the well-being of communities through market-based mechanisms. In this audio interview with Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman, CEO Mark Pinsky talks about what his organization, the Opportunity Finance Network, does to support such institutions in improving people's lives in urban, rural, and reservation-based markets.
Podcast
Promoting Entrepreneurship at Home and Abroad - Hoover Conference
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.
Podcast
Richard Boly - 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.