Spring 2013

Issue

Spring 2013

Volume 11, Number 2

In the spring of 2003 Stanford Social Innovation Review published its inaugural issue. Ten years later, in the spring 2013 issue, we are celebrating our decennial anniversary. To mark the occasion we asked some of the world’s leading thinkers and practitioners to contribute their thoughts about how the field of social innovation has evolved and what challenges remain ahead. We are thrilled to bring you the results—a diverse array of essays that are certain to provoke your thinking.

Features

Nonprofits

Listening to Those Who Matter Most, the Beneficiaries

By Fay Twersky, Phil Buchanan, & Valerie Threlfall 11

The views of those who benefit from social programs offer insight into a program’s effectiveness.

Philanthropy

High Stakes Donor Collaborations

By Willa Seldon, Thomas J. Tierney, & Gihani Fernando 1

Pioneering groups of foundations and philanthropists have pooled their talent and resources to help solve social sector problems too big for any one to tackle alone.

Economic Development

China’s Quest to Adopt Electric Vehicles

By Christopher Marquis, Hongyu Zhang, & Lixuan Zhou

The Chinese government’s effort to create an electric vehicle industry illuminates the promise and peril of economic development policies.

Advocacy

Assessing Advocacy

By Ivan Barkhorn, Nathan Huttner, & Jason Blau 1

Grantmakers can use a quantitative framework to help them decide which advocacy programs to invest in, and advocacy organizations can use it to determine which approaches might be most effective.

What’s Next

Health

Delivering Affordable Innovation

By Suzie Boss

D-Rev delivers affordable health care innovation to the places that need it most.

Philanthropy

Indexing Nonprofits

By Suzie Boss

Donors want their money to be spent wisely, but knowing where to give can be difficult.

Technology & Design

Poverty-Fighting Salons

By Suzie Boss

Can open conversations accelerate the spread of good ideas in global development?

Social Entrepreneurship

New Ecosystem for Middle East Entrepreneurs

By Suzie Boss

The i2 Institute aims to catalyze hope across the Middle East.

Field Report

Urban Development

Habitat Builds Out Its Vision

By Suzie Boss 3

In the aftermath of the US housing crisis, Habitat for Humanity is working to build not just affordable homes, but affordable communities.

Economic Development

Improving Household Balance Sheets

By Jack McCarthy

The Citi Foundation shifts its grantmaking operations to offer hands-on financial training.

Technology & Design

Babel of Video

By Brandon Keim

Some 200,000 videos have been subtitled in 100 languages, thanks to software that makes translating subtitles easy and relies on multilingual crowds.

Socially Responsible Business

Unifying Europe

By Adrienne Day

The nonprofit Erste Foundation is an engine behind the for-profit Erste Group as well as its largest shareholder.

Case Study

Nonprofit Management

Diversifying NGO Leadership

By Donna Bryson 3

There was a time when the all the senior staff of international NGOs working in developing countries came from North America and Europe. That is changing.