Education

Schools Hit the Big Screen: Influencing the Public Mindset

Three films, Waiting for “Superman”, The Lottery, and Teached, all of which provide a candid and critical look at U.S. public education, hit the big screen this year. Positioned to generate conversation and action about education reform, these documentaries take you into the lives of children and families who are struggling in a system that is failing them. 2010 Sundance Audience Award winner Waiting for “Superman” has garnered attention through its support from Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Mark Zuckerberg, among others. This panel of filmmakers speaks on their experiences telling these powerful stories and offers ways for the audience to be part of the solution in their own communities and via media platforms. They spoke at the 2010 NewSchools Summit, an event convened by the NewSchools Venture Fund.

Economic Development

Creating a World Without Poverty

Featuring Muhammad Yunus

Nobel Peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus talks about how he founded Grameen Bank to offer economic building tools for some of the poorest people in Bangladesh.

Economic Development

Michael Spence - Financial Crisis and a Changing Business World

How have some developing countries managed to overcome poverty? What kinds of economic and political decisions have led to their success? In this audio lecture Michael Spence, Nobel Memorial Prize Winner in Economic Sciences, discusses what the Commission on Growth and Development has learned about the characteristics of nations that have been able to advance economically despite the recent global financial crisis.

Energy

Rolf Papsdorf - Providing Environmental Sustainability Solutions

The unique advantages of zinc air fuel cells have been harnessed as an environmental sustainability measure to deliver reliable, renewable, and affordable electricity to rural communities off the grid. In this audio interview, Stanford Center for Social Innovation correspondent Sheela Sethuraman talks with 2009 Tech Award winner Rolf Papsdorf to find out how his company, Alternative Energy Development Corporation, combines sound economics, customer service, and social responsibility to tangibly improve the lives of people around the world.

Environment

Al Gore - Tech Awards

Promoting environmental sustainability is the responsibility of every world citizen, says Nobel Laureate and former Vice President Al Gore in this audio lecture. Speaking at the 2009 Tech Awards, he urges his audience to consider how they may make changes and press for policies that will address global warming. He asks Westerners, in particular, to consider how the consequences of their own actions may be causing suffering for millions displaced by climate change.

Economic Development

Joseph Stiglitz - Globalization and International Development

In this audio interview, Asia Society President Vishakha N. Desai speaks with Nobel Prize winning economist and globalization "rockstar" Joseph Stiglitz on matters concerning international development. The conversation focuses on Stiglitz's concept of "the economics of information," and his latest book, Making Globalization Work. In this fascinating in-depth interview, Stiglitz discusses intellectual property rights, the shifting global balance of power, challenges facing Africa, and much more.