Summer 2024

Issue

Summer 2024

Volume 22, Number 3

Read about how strategic philanthropy has failed to improve societal conditions and how it can be reformed, how the administration of California Gov. Gavin Newsom partnered with philanthropies, nonprofits, and businesses to develop and scale solutions to social problems, how the Trust for Public Land strengthened community power through park renovations, how regeneration is replacing sustainability as a business model to address climate change, and other topics in the Summer 2024 issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review.

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Features

Philanthropy & Funding

Where Strategic Philanthropy Went Wrong

By Mark Kramer & Steve Phillips 7

Dramatic advances in the scale and sophistication of strategic philanthropy have not improved societal conditions at a national level. We propose empowerment philanthropy as a new approach to fostering political and economic self-determination by supporting people in finding their own solutions and ensuring an effective multiracial democracy.

Government

Effective Government Demands Partnership

By Kathleen Kelly Janus

From climate change to national security threats, the problems we face in the world are too big for government to solve alone. Public-private partnerships demonstrate how government can collaborate with the private sector to catalyze and scale innovation.

Civic Engagement

Revitalize Parks to Strengthen Democracy

By Geneva Vest, Cary Simmons & Howard Frumkin 2

The Trust for Public Land developed a framework to build community power through the creation and stewardship of green spaces. Our work demonstrates the power of parks to enrich democracy. | Open access to this article is made possible by The Trust for Public Land.

Business

How Regeneration Is Redefining Business

By Christopher Marquis 2

Aiming for sustainability has not fundamentally altered the environmentally destructive effects of business. Only by embracing regeneration as a model can we meet the challenges posed by today’s biggest global crises.

Case Study

Health

Promoting a Culture of Caring in Education

By Alison Badgett

For the past two decades, the Jed Foundation has led the fight to address the mental health crisis among American youth. Its story highlights the importance of addressing the cultural causes of the mental health crisis through systems change. | Open access to this article is made possible by the Jed Foundation

What’s Next

Economic Development

Drone Sisters

By Neha Bhatt

A new government program in India is training women to become agricultural drone pilots to increase their financial security and modernize farming.

Cities

Not Building From Scratch

By Chloé Rouveyrolles

The city of Paris is turning empty properties into homes to relieve a supply-strapped housing market.

Civic Engagement

Disability Organizing

By Marianne Dhenin

New Disabled South advocates for disability justice and enfranchisement in the US South.

Arts & Culture

Real Estate for the Artists

By Kyle Coward

CAST provides art organizations a pathway to property ownership, giving artists much-needed space to create and display their work.

Field Report

Education

No Disabled Child Left Behind

By Madalitso Wills Kateta

Sightsavers is working to change social attitudes toward disabled children through community-centered education in Malawi.

Energy

Circular Construction

By Paul Hockenos

A multinational team is upcycling old concrete and brick for new buildings in the Czech Republic.

Social Enterprise

Learning Code for a Second Chance at Life

By Rina Diane Caballar

Social enterprise Take2’s training and support program provides a pathway to job security after incarceration.

Viewpoint

Civic Engagement

Volunteerism’s Diversity Problem

By Yasmine Mahdavi

A lack of resources should not prevent young people from serving their communities.

Foundations

The Longer-Term Impact of Fixed-Life Foundations

By Anna De La Cruz & David Lehr 1

A small foundation that eschews perpetuity in favor of maximizing social impact can continue to sustain and scale long after its doors close. | Open access to this article is made possible by the Linked Foundation.

Environment

Who Knows Agroforestry Best?

By Evelyn R. Nimmo, André E. B. Lacerda, Leandro Bonfim & Joel Bothello

Current scientific approaches to agricultural sustainability may in some contexts prove counterproductive to environmental preservation.

Technology

A Cashless Economy Is No Utopia

By Seema Prem 1

The future of money may be digital, but we must not underestimate the resilience and freedom that cash offers.

Research

Measurement & Evaluation

How Nudges Get Adopted

By Daniela Blei

Government agencies are more likely to incorporate effective interventions if they apply to activities they are already doing.

Social Enterprise

Prisoner to Entrepreneur

By Chana R. Schoenberger

Formerly incarcerated individuals who face employment discrimination are more likely to pursue entrepreneurship.

Collaboration

The Limits of Public-Private Partnership

By Chana R. Schoenberger

Private companies and public institutions struggle to get as much done together as private companies working together in groups.

Economic Development

Skepticism About UBI

By Daniela Blei

Large-scale implementation of universal basic income can decrease overall welfare.

Book Reviews

Review

Leadership

Lessons on Effective Connection

Reviewed By Ayesha Anna Ninan

In Supercommunicators, Charles Duhigg presents an actionable guide to better communication, albeit one without groundbreaking insight.

Review

Environment

Making Sense of Wicked Problems

Reviewed By Andrew J. Hoffman

In Long Problems, Thomas Hale contends that effective political solutions to climate change are vexed by the issue of coordinating policies over protracted time horizons.

Editor’s Note

Human Rights

Social Innovation Isn’t Just a Western Phenomenon

By Nicholas Jackson

Look for solutions and inspiration everywhere, even in unlikely places.

SSIR Online

Human Rights

SSIR Online, Summer 2024 Issue

By SSIR Editors

A collection of standout pieces published online about healing systems, trust-based philanthropy, global equity, and the opportunities connected to migration.

Last Look

Environment

Fish Food

By Marcie Bianco

Aquaponics recycles water and feeds plant life and fish at the same time.

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Magazine Sections
- Features
  
  New and in-depth explorations of solutions to social, environmental, or organizational problems
- Case Study
  
  An inside look at one organization
- What’s Next
  
  New approaches to social change
- Field Report
  
  Profiles of innovative work
- Viewpoint
  
  Insights from the front lines
- Research
  
  Highlights from scholarly journals
- Book Reviews
  
  Reviews of new and notable titles
- Editor’s Note
  
  Perspectives on the print magazine issues from SSIR's editor-in-chief
- SSIR Online
  
  Takeaways from SSIR's digital channels
- Last Look
  
  Images that inspire
- Sponsored Supplements
  
  Collections of articles on a single topic, funded by a sponsor
SSIR is published by the
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