Systems change efforts that focus on boosting social capital and collective efficacy through building relationships within communities show promise. But do we have the patience to wait for them to work?
Stanford University’s Rural Education Action Program has established a one-of-a-kind research collaborative among Chinese, US, and European universities to improve the lot of rural Chinese families. Its success shows the potential of applying scientific methods to development and forging global partnerships for social impact.
The new public management model of governance has failed. But an emerging collaborative and democratic approach shows promise.
As the United States struggles to vaccinate everyone in the nation, governments and community-based organizations trying to eliminate barriers to access for high-risk, rural, and remote communities must consider geography, partnerships, language, schedules, and technology.
Sensible innovation policy design, targeted at innovations for the public good, can be a crucial tool in helping our societies recover and rebuild.
Centering equity in funding relationships requires trust. It also takes time, resources, and a willingness to shift power to the people closest to the problem.
To address the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic disruptions, India’s government, businesses, and nonprofits had to work together. Their experience provides lessons for the world on crisis management.
Employment helps immigrants identify with the organizations they work for and integrate with society at large.
Brazilian civil society worked together to win basic income for the poor. Its success illustrates how organizations must interlock to secure rights and push for social change.
Enthusiasm for systems change is not new, and a broader historical perspective will help systems change enthusiasts learn from the past what NOT to do: replicate the ineffective mindsets and engineering approaches that have defined so much of the systems change work in our sectors.
