Conference Overview
During the first two decades of the 21st century, society has experienced major technological, political, and economic changes, resulting in a significant redistribution of people, power, and resources across the globe.
Climate change, conflict, and economic trends are causing hundreds of millions of people to migrate within and across nations. Nations are rapidly urbanizing, redistributing populations and leaving most rural areas further behind. And dramatic demographic changes within countries are contributing to social upheaval.
Power—political, personal, and social—is also being redistributed. The Internet has caused significant changes in whose voices are heard and what organizations wield power. Social movements such as Black Lives Matter, Yellow Vests, Me Too, and the Umbrella Movement are shaking the foundations of power.
A handful of nations, companies, and individuals are controlling a growing share of the world’s wealth, capital, and environmental assets. This redistribution of resources is leading to a growing chasm between the rich and the poor, and calls for significant changes in the way resources are allocated and controlled.
As dramatic as these changes have been, it is all but certain that the redistribution wave will continue, or possibly even accelerate, in the coming decades.
If that is the case, how do we as social innovation leaders respond? What can we learn from our experiences to create a more just, sustainable, and equal world, and how can we better prepare for the changes to come.
• What role can civil society organizations play in preventing massive refugee migrations?
• Are social impact bonds and other outcome-based funding approaches achieving their goals?
• Are cities increasingly the cradle of social innovation?
• What responsibilities do foundations and large funders have to respond to community demands for decolonizing wealth and power?
• Can the expertise of those without computer science backgrounds be successfully integrated into the development of AI to produce more ethical and just tools?
• If climate change is the defining issue of our time, how should we all change our work?
Sessions
"Systems work is not a thought experiment–it’s a continual practice"
The term ‘systems change” is widely used among those in the social innovation community; but what does it really mean? What are the principles of this work, and how is “systems change” done in practice? And how are social purpose organizations working to overcome the worldwide legacies of colonialism, racism, and inequality from globalization, and now climate injustice? In this session, Francois Bonnici, head of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, and Cynthia Rayner, senior researcher at the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, will share how their research and experiences starting initially in South Africa have encouraged them to look deeper at the idea of “systems change.” They will introduce their concept of “systems work,” which is meant to bring more emphasis to the “how to” of systemic approaches, revealing the principles and practices of this work: engaging connection, context and power in pursuit of deep social change. Joining Bonnici and Rayner will be René Parker, managing director and CEO of RLabs, Clarita Arboleda, COO of Fundacion Escuela Nueva, and Arbind Singh, founder and executive director of Nidan, who will talk about the work of their organizations and illustrate how to practically and fundamentally address the complexity, scale and depth of social issues.
"Could This Be the Future of Our Economic System? A Discussion on “Mutualism”
How do we build a collaborative economic system that is both prosperous and allows people to live lives of dignity and joy? What do cooperatives, mutual aid societies, religious organizations, labor unions and trade associations have in common, and what can they teach us about addressing social ills? What are the forces quietly driving rural and urban economies alike all over the world, and how might these shape the future of our economic safety nets? MacArthur Genius Award winner Sara Horowitz, founder of the Freelancers Union, former labor lawyer, and former Chair of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, will share the thinking behind her new book, Mutualism: Building the Economy from the Ground Up. Horowitz believes that movements of power and aid can, and should, be driven by those needing the greatest amount of help, and suggests the way forward lies in taking an intergenerational approach to developing cooperative, mutually-beneficial economic mechanisms within our societies. She will be joined in conversation with Eric Nee, editor-in-chief of SSIR.
Rapid Talks: "Driving Policy Change and The Need for Government Transparency"
"Power shift?" Why is it that we can build MRNA vaccines and driverless cars, but not convince the public that they are safe. Or that we break political barriers for women and people of color, while more than one-in-three Americans thinks violence might be justified “to protect a traditional way of life.” Against this backdrop of deeply broken norms and institutions and profound counter-trends, what does it mean to live, lead, and innovate? In this 20-minute “rapid-fire” talk, Heather Hurlburt, director of New Models of Policy Change, will discuss what it means to build power–and seek to use it for justice– in a time of profound but incomplete power shifts. "Equitable Power Through Alternative Approaches to Governance" How can we better ensure those in power are accountable by fundamentally rethinking governance? Inequality is rising, citizens are excluded and conflicts are becoming more likely. Traditional approaches to these problems are increasingly obsolete- and old-school governance processes are not fit-for-purpose in a 21st century where we face unprecedented challenges. But there are different ways of focusing on these issues – new models that start with the solutions, rather than the problems; highlight role-models, rather than the wrong-doers; and bring people together for collective action to overcome individual apathy. In this 20-minute “rapid fire” talk, Blair Glencorse, executive director of the Accountability Lab Global, will help us to re-imagine the ways that systems can and should work, and focus on how new, more creative approaches to governance might lead to more equitable distributions of power.
"Philanthropy, Healing, and the Journey to Decolonization and Antiracism"
Decolonization requires both an interrogation and active deconstruction of white dominant culture and colonial impacts on our ways of being. In the U.S., much of philanthropy’s history, and the wealth it holds, are rooted in the exploitation of communities of color. The sector has a responsibility to not only acknowledge its past, but also actively redistribute wealth to the communities upon whose back that wealth was (and still is) made and withheld. In this fireside chat, Edgar Villanueva, Author and Principal of Decolonizing Wealth Project and Liberated Capital will be joined in conversation with Hilary Pennington, Executive Vice President of Programs at the Ford Foundation. Together they will discuss specific ways in which philanthropy can work towards becoming anti-racist and how our collective healing will bring forth a better, more just future.
"Who Owns Poverty? Who Should?"
For decades, governments, development organizations, NGOs, and other changemakers have spent billions of dollars and countless hours on programs designed to reduce poverty or alleviate its effects. Sadly, the majority of these efforts have yielded little in the way of real, permanent change. But what if the reason for these shortfalls in program success is due to the simple fact that we’ve been asking all the wrong questions about poverty? Maybe the one question about global poverty we never thought to ask is simply who owns it? It’s a question with an unexpected answer, one that challenges everything that we thought we knew about what poverty is, and what we can do about it. In this session, Martín Burt, the founder and CEO of Fundación Paraguaya and a renowned social entrepreneur who has developed poverty alleviation innovations, will lead us through a review of what the popular approaches to poverty reduction have been, their relative successes (or lack thereof), and why new “bottom-up” models (like the one currently being used by his own Poverty Stoplight) may lead to a new era of success in addressing the issue, by recognizing that those who own the problem, own the solution. Burt, a former Mayor of Asunción (the capital of Paraguay), vice minister of Commerce, and chief of staff to the President of Paraguay, as well as a member of the board of directors of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship at the World Economic Forum, will also explore the role that governments, business, and NGOs should play in this process.
"Philanthropy Has Been Wrong About Rural America for Too Long"
By listening to the voices of systems-focused leaders from across sectors and geographies, significant pools of philanthropic resources can be powerfully deployed in rural communities and small towns to drive sustained impact – from the building of local power and agency, to increased ability to access and leverage the commercial capital and public funding vital to all thriving communities. One avenue for deploying resources in this high impact way is through rural hubs/community foundations–unique local institutions that are ripe for investment, and may be a linchpin to creating a new story for rural and small town America. This Frontiers panel moderated by Kim Syman, managing partner at New Profit, will challenge assumptions about U.S. rural communities and small towns, and about the value and viability of large philanthropic investment in these places. We’ll learn what this time of layered crises – in our democracy, economy, physical and mental health, and experience of racial justice issues – is like in rural communities and small towns, shining a spotlight on inventive responses. Syman will be joined by Wizipan Little Elk, CEO of REDCO Ecosystem, Karama Neal, administrator of Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA Rural Development, and Gerry Roll, executive director of Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky. The panelists will tackle head-on real and perceived challenges that philanthropists frequently cite as barriers to funding in these places.
"When the Wall of Exclusion Comes Down, Everybody Benefits: Overcoming Ableism"
The poorest, most chronically unemployed and marginalized people in society are people with disabilities PWD). When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, it didn’t take long for it to highlight that PWD would be unduly impacted. Even before COVID, PWD were already facing structural inequalities. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that only 18 percent of PWD were employed in 2020, a stark contrast to the 66 percent workforce participation rate for those without disabilities, and the poverty rate for PWD is more than double that of people without disabilities (27 vs. 12 percent, respectively). And this is by no means only a US issue. It is estimated that 15 percent of the world’s population are PWD. In this panel discussion, we will explore different methods for supporting access and fighting ableism. Led by Ryan Easterly, executive director of the WITH Foundation, this panel discussion brings together Carol Glazer, the president of the National Organization on Disability, the oldest disability rights organization in the US. Diana Samarasan, the founding executive director of the Disability Rights Fund and the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund, two collaborations between donors and global disability activists dedicated to supporting disability rights movements in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. Haftan Eckholdt is the chief data officer and chief science officer at Understood, an organization that supports people with learning and thinking differences. Together, they will share their work and learnings on the importance of including the voices and active participation of persons with disabilities in order to build a better, more inclusive future.
"What Data Makes Possible: Access, Inclusion and Participation"
The past year’s events have demonstrated that the need for real-time data in times of crisis is vital. Reliable, up-to-date data is crucial to inform decision-making in humanitarian and development efforts. To do so, we must identify the current gaps in our knowledge and step up to address these gaps to effectively respond to the growing demand for national, regional, and international data that is more accessible, inclusive, and participatory. This session, with Cordell Carter, executive director of the Socrates Program at the Aspen Institute; Blair Palmer, an epidemiologist and Innovation & Foundation Partnerships Officer at UNICEF USA, and Stuart Campo, team lead for Data Responsibility and the UN OCHA Centre for Humanitarian Data, will share how disruptive innovation and data are changing our relationships with each other and our world. The panel will attempt to shed light on how the public and private sectors can use data to better influence policies used by international organizations and host governments to cater to the growing needs of populations, with a particular focus on the needs of women, children, and vulnerable people.
"Power to the People: Creating Social Movements that Have Impact"
Last year saw the largest and most widespread protests in the United States since the demonstrations against the Vietnam War 50 years ago. The protests for racial justice were not confined to the streets. They have become a powerful social movement that is changing elections and public policies, upending the way that businesses and nonprofits operate, and changing people’s minds and behaviors. Social movements such as this have long played a critical role in changing society, not just in the United States but throughout the world. In this session, Hahrie Han, Johns Hopkins University professor and author of Prisms of the People: Power & Organizing in Twenty-First Century America will be joined in conversation by Arisha Michelle Hatch, managing director of Campaigns at Color Of Change. Han will draw on her extensive research and analysis of social movements to explain why some social movements succeed when others fail, as well as discuss the vital role that social movements—the collective expression of people’s desires—play in a society. Hatch will share what this looks like from the frontlines of the nation’s largest online racial justice organization.justice organization.
"Valuing Nature in Decisions for Climate and Planetary Security"
Society has begun to awaken to the importance of nature, providing security in climate, health, livelihoods, and other vital dimensions of well-being. We have entered an unprecedented period in human history, with rapidly escalating risks and costs of destroying Earth’s life-support systems. In this talk, Gretchen Daily, co-founder and faculty director of the Natural Capital Project, will describe advances in science, technology, policy and finance that are driving transformation to green, inclusive development pathways. She’ll discuss the innovation in actionable tools, engagement, and demonstrations, and a strategy for scaling models of success across sectors, countries, and global institutions. She will focus especially on China and Latin America, which stand out today for innovation at scale.
"New Approaches to Global Development"
Many of the efforts that have been tried in the past to stimulate development around the world have either failed or fallen well short of their goals. To remedy this, older aid organizations and multilateral institutions are revamping the way that they work, and new actors have arisen that are taking innovative approaches to global development. In this panel discussion, four practitioners with a wealth of experience and knowledge from India, South Africa, and the United States will discuss some of the most interesting and effective new approaches to global development. The panel will be led by moderator Jim Bildner, CEO of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, which since 2003 has funded 181 social entrepreneurs around the world. He is joined by three others. Frank Aswani, CEO of Africa Venture Philanthropy Alliance, a network of investors that fund social ventures throughout Africa. Abby Maxman, president and CEO of Oxfam America, who has more than 30 years of experience in international humanitarian relief and development. And Jeroo Billimoria, a social entrepreneur who has founded several NGOs (4 of which are global), co-founded Catalyst 2030, and is a Skoll Awardee and an Ashoka and Schwab Fellow.
Rapid Talks: "Citizen-Led Social Innovation and Societal Platforms in Egypt and India"
“Societal Thinking: Solving Together at Scale” Can we design open and shared platforms that act as a shared space for key actors, across civil society, governments and markets, to co-create and to deliver societal impact at scale? Leveraging Societal Thinking, social enterprises such as Project ECHO, Avanti Finance, and EkStep have enhanced their infrastructure and programs for healthcare, livelihoods and education. These innovations are rapidly engaging communities on the ground and empowering them to solve problems in their own contexts. In this session, Sanjay Purohit, Chief Curator of Societal Platform, will share curated learnings and experiences at equipping change leaders and decision makers to see, to sense, and to design similar Societal Platforms. He will explore the need to anchor such innovations in the core values of agency, dignity and choice to build a resilient future “From Citizen to Society and Back: Enabling Systems Change through Evidence and Collaboration” Change is conceptualized, designed, and implemented at all levels of society, from individual citizen, to organization, to government. But where does change start and where does it end? How do we know that we are moving in the right direction, collecting the right information, or connecting the right dots to enable systems change? In this talk, you’ll go on a journey with Mona Mowafi, Co-founder & President of RISE Egypt, to get a window into their experiences building LEEP for Collaborative Impact, a community collaborative to enable systems change by creating visibility, accessibility, and connectivity of knowledge and networks across the Egyptian social innovation ecosystem. You’ll learn how RISE and LEEP are bridging and aligning bottom-up, citizen-led solutions with top-down, government-led strategies to address the country’s development challenges. You will also hear how they are harnessing data to gain insights from the collective intelligence of the community to inform a continuous iterative loop between growth, learning, and action.
"Youth Activism and the Future of the Global Climate Movement"
A climate crisis advisor to the UN Secretary-General. National and international summit speakers. Organizers of virtual climate strikes and marches such as Fridays For Future and #YoRespiroMty. Three young adults on the forefront of climate change activism from Mexico, the United States, and Japan unite to share their stories, their challenges and goals, and the impact their actions have had, thus far. As a researcher who has been studying youth and climate activism since the late 1990s, Dana R. Fisher, professor of sociology and director of the Program for Society and the Environment at the University of Maryland, launched a program in 2019 to examine the evolution of the youth climate movement and the role of climate strikes. Fisher is uniquely qualified to moderate the discussion among this dynamic group of young climate activists: Edgar Sánchez from Mexico (age 16), Isao Sakai from Japan (17), and Sophia Kianni from the United States (19).
"The World That George Floyd Made: Can Social Innovation Rise to Meet the Moment and its Demands?"
Modern forces—ranging from globalization, automation, and soaring inequality to mass migration and multi-culturalism—exist alongside the push and pull of efforts to combat systemic racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression through transformational change. These forces are correlated with both the rise of authoritarian populism and the decline in levels of democracy around the world. While the arc of history surely bends toward justice, the next few decades will be fraught as we interrogate what a more equitable and sustainable world looks like and what shifts in power and resources must happen to get there. In this closing plenary address, Cheryl L. Dorsey, president of Echoing Green, will discuss how social innovation, as a rising global social movement, can stand alongside other methods for transformational social change and support the journey towards justice.