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· 2,078 ratings · 168 reviews

Start your review of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas

Feb 12, 2010 Emily D rated it it was amazing

I remember feeling very self-conscious whenever I read or carried this book around in public. Friends, whenever they see you carrying a book, will always ask "What are you reading?" I'd sheepishly show them the cover, anticipating what I know was coming next.. An "Emily, are you really trying to change the world?" or "Oh Em, you know you can't save the world, right?"

Had I read Novogratz by then, I would have retorted with a "Probably not, but I'd be happy enough if I could manage to give it a nu

Had I read Novogratz by then, I would have retorted with a "Probably not, but I'd be happy enough if I could manage to give it a nudge." But I haven't read 'The Blue Sweater' by then, so I usually just smiled back and kept quiet.

Anyway, on to my review..

David Bornstein's "How to Change the World" traces the beginnings of the Ashoka Foundation, starting with the vision of its founder, Bill Drayton. Through a series of case studies on the different Ashoka fellows, Bornstein outlines and illustrates Drayton's principles of how Social Entrepreneurs can change the world.

I was intrigued by the concept of a Social Entrepreneur. I've always wanted to figure out the best way that I can merge advertising/marketing and advocacy. In the Social Entrepreneur, I saw that Drayton has found a way to merge business principles and social change. I wanted to know how he did it.

So I absolutely loved the fact that Drayton is a practical sort of man. As with anyone with a strong advocacy, he values passion and empathy in people. But at the same time, he acknowledges that it takes a certain kind of personality, skills and thinking to be able to make a real difference. He specialized in sifting through people with good hearts to separate the theorists from the real change agents. The "particular type of actor who propels social change." And this book covers everything from how to spot those people, how to support them, how to breed a whole generation of them, and a blueprint of how to replicate successful models all over the world.

Bornstein puts it this way:

"Over the past century, researchers have studied business entrepreneurs extensively..

In contrast, social entrepreneurs have received little attention. Historically, they have been cast as humanitarians or saints, and stories of their work have been passed down more in the form of children's tales than case studies. While the stories may inspire, they fail to make social entrepreneurs' methods comprehensible. One can analyze an entrepreneur, but how does one analyze a saint?"

And realizing this, Bornstein and Drayton gave us the Ashoka Foundation and "How to Change the World" so we have a practical map to change instead of another lovely fable.

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This book is a highly revealing one, but not necessarily in the way that the author of this book likely intends. When I started to read this book I got angry so I had to let it lie low for a few days until I could read it in a calmer mood. Ultimately, I did learn from this book so it is not one I feel I could view as one of the worst books ever. But what I learned from the book put me in stark opposition to the author and his intents and demonstrated the corruption of the social entrepreneurs This book is a highly revealing one, but not necessarily in the way that the author of this book likely intends. When I started to read this book I got angry so I had to let it lie low for a few days until I could read it in a calmer mood. Ultimately, I did learn from this book so it is not one I feel I could view as one of the worst books ever. But what I learned from the book put me in stark opposition to the author and his intents and demonstrated the corruption of the social entrepreneurship that we see among tech billionaires that has shown itself in corrupt lefist bias on a part of companies like Google and Amazon, among many others. This book actively encourages people to seek to start businesses in order to help agitate for harmful social change, and this book features a lot of looks at people with false messianic worldviews that involve corrupt political dealings around the world in places like India and Brazil and the United States. The NYT shows its typical idiocy by calling this book a bible in the field, but those who actually know something about the Bible will view this book far more negatively.

This book is about 300 pages long and is divided into just more than 20 chapters. The preface begins this book with some messianic ideas that social entrepreneurs attempt to put into place. After that the author includes a chapter on restless people (1) and another one on planting trees (2). There is a chapter on rural electrification in Brazil (3) and the search for subsidies, and one on Florence Nightingale's efforts (4) in the Crimean War. There is a chapter on Bill Drayton's work in the United States (5) as a social entrepreneur as well as a discussion on the building of Ashoka (6). Then there is a discussion about child protection in India (7), as well as the role of a social entrepreneur in the author's view (8) and a discussion of orphanages in Hungary (9) and people being demon-possessed by leftist ideologies (10). There are chapters on health care in Brazil (11), the search for social excellence (12), the desire to get mediocre poor people in the US to do more college (13), new opportunities and challenges (14), the care for AIDS patients in South Africa (15), four practices of innovative organizations (16), disability rights in India (17), six qualities of successful social entrepreneurs (18), concerns about "morality" and "capacity" (19), blueprint copying, and the author's hopes for the emergence of a social sector, after which the book concludes with an epilogue, afterword, notes, selected readings, and a resource guide.

Ultimately, the failure of this book is a failure in terms of the worldview of its author as well as the sort of people who would be attracted to this book. Despite all of the evidence going back hundreds of years about the failure of leftist messianic crusades to save the world and the fact that they tended to create a hell on earth instead of a heaven on earth, the author seems to believe that social entrepreneurs can solve problems without making them worse. There are all kinds of dreams about what can be done for various privileged subaltern groups without thinking of how much things cost and who is going to be expected to pay for them. If the book is not anti-business, it certainly has a business model that is more crony capitalism than anything that will ultimately bring better life to people even if we cannot expect entrepreneurs of any kind to rid the world of the evil that lies within the heart of human beings. This is a book that fails on fundamental theological reasons for failing to recognize the extent of evil within human nature that is present within reformers as much as anyone else, and on those grounds all it presents is noble ideals that will inevitably turn dark and evil once someone tries to put them into practice through the coercive power of the state.

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Jan 24, 2009 David rated it it was amazing

• I loved this book because it was about real-life people who are doing remarkable things in the world…it is an inspiration for me about what's possible. Some specific things I learned are that:
o Often Government/NGO ideas of what people need are different than people's ideas of what they need, so ask the people what they actually need and address that (Fabio Rosa)
o Accountability is important on the receiving side too: i.e. when mothers failed to keep their end of the bargain, Renascer released • I loved this book because it was about real-life people who are doing remarkable things in the world…it is an inspiration for me about what's possible. Some specific things I learned are that:
o Often Government/NGO ideas of what people need are different than people's ideas of what they need, so ask the people what they actually need and address that (Fabio Rosa)
o Accountability is important on the receiving side too: i.e. when mothers failed to keep their end of the bargain, Renascer released them.
o Its important to continually remind people of their absolute importance to the organization.
o Professionals are needed for special cases, but not for the front lines…train people who were previously untapped resources.
o Poverty is not a lack of money, it's a lack of a sense of meaning.
o Receiving a pro-bono audit and maintaining financial transparency in newsletters is invaluable.
o One innovative program I liked was Renescer matching poor families with middle class families to sort of "adopt" them for 6 months to give them nutritional and food supplements.
o Charging for services may be important: i.e. for Collegesummit: if schools pay for the service, they're likely to complain if they're not getting what they want (a great indicator), if it's free, they will be too embarrassed to complain.
o Sustainable expansion: Ashoka wouldn't expand until it had enough funds to cover itself for 3 years in that new country…similarily Aravind wouldn't buy a new hospital until it had all the money saved up to build it (i.e. no loans).
o Qualities of Social Entrepreneurs:
• Willingness to self-correct, not depending on anyone else to change course.
• Willingness to share credit
• Willingnes to break free of established structures
• Willingness to cross disciplinary boundaries
• Willingness to work quietly: sometimes for 10 years before their ideas take off
• Strong ethical impetus
• Their motivation usually comes from a strong person or event in their life:
• I.e. an amazing grandfather or a horrible event where they were "branded for life" (Bangladesh's famine, Vera Cordero seeing the kids in the hospital go right back to the favelas)
People arrive at a point in their lives where they realize they can make a difference, and from there they're launched into action.
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Mar 21, 2013 Andy rated it really liked it

This book is like a company catalog for Ashoka. The project examples I read about were interesting and inspiring. As the author points out, e.g. regarding Mary Lasker, "social entrepreneurs" can do more harm than good, so what matters is doing what works to help people.

Personal rant:
I understand that "social entrepreneur" is a different thing from "entrepreneur" and that there is a presumably good intention behind it, but it is unnecessarily confusing. "Entrepreneur" should mean what it means as defined in the dictionary (someone risking money to start a business). To describe people like Florence Nightingale, we can use words like "visionary," "leader," "innovator," "reformer," etc. We have a rich language.

I don't like the term "social entrepreneur" because it gets people talking about how you have to find the "business model" before you can change anything, and that's a load of hogwash. The examples in the book, from Florence Nightingale onwards, were mostly NOT running for-profit businesses. Polio vaccine, ORS, sewers, and on and on, did NOT come from for-profit businesses. Greed is not a necessary or sufficient motivator for producing good in the world. In fact, it produces a lot of evil.

Another rationale for "social entrepreneur" is that non-profits should use "businesslike techniques." But it's not clear what that means either. Many businesses are horribly run. Supposedly brilliant management techniques come and go like fashion trends. Again, what matters is producing good results. Being "businesslike" is not necessary or sufficient for being effective.

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May 05, 2010 Matt Burgess rated it did not like it

It is not often I read a book that is basically a waste of time, but this book by David Bornstein is one of them. I picked it up with the hopes of promise of something useful, but I was left with a collection of poorly written stories about "social entrepreneurs". Instead of writing about them and explaining their accomplishments in more practical terms, Bornstein leaves us with a history lesson.

Buy this book if you want a fairly lengthy book on your shelf with an impressive title. Don't buy it

Buy this book if you want a fairly lengthy book on your shelf with an impressive title. Don't buy it for content.

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This should've been an inspirational and motivating read, but for me it missed the mark.

Bornstein's book is really a PR product of the Ashoka Fellows program and its founder, Bill Drayton. That's not to detract from its contribution, but to position the book and indirectly hint at some of Bornstein's limitations in virtue of writing essentially a biography of the various Fellows he's interviewed and whose work he's followed.

In the current era of ubiquitous randomized controlled trials (RCTs),

This should've been an inspirational and motivating read, but for me it missed the mark.

In the current era of ubiquitous randomized controlled trials (RCTs), evaluation matters and simply stating that an individual has made an impact (regardless of the evaluation tools Ashoka employs) does not an impact make. This is where social entrepreneurs get things wrong - yes, perhaps person X in country Y has transformed the location's education sector, but would these changes have occurred independent of X? Ashoka overwhelmingly declares no, but it's in their interest to not perform rigorous counterfactual analyses to prove value-add.

The individuals Bornstein interviews are charismatic, industrious, and other-minded. They come from agriculture, energy, education, healthcare, etc. and what unites them is an entrepreneurial spirit coupled with a social focus.

My problem was I simply got bored. I didn't learn anything radically new (aside from a bio sketch of Drayton who is extraordinary) and the altruist protagonists started bleeding into one another.

I'd recommend this if you're unfamiliar with the Ashoka program and what social entrepreneurs do. Otherwise this is trodden territory.

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Sep 24, 2008 Heather rated it really liked it

This is a very interesting book that shows the importance of the "citizen sector" and the ideas and work of social entrepreneurs. The government and private sector cannot take care of all the needs in the world, so it is inspiring to see people stepping up to make a difference by taking their ideas and working relentlessly to make them happen. This book gives several examples of people in the world working hard to change societies for the better while encouraging all of us to be "changemakers" ( This is a very interesting book that shows the importance of the "citizen sector" and the ideas and work of social entrepreneurs. The government and private sector cannot take care of all the needs in the world, so it is inspiring to see people stepping up to make a difference by taking their ideas and working relentlessly to make them happen. This book gives several examples of people in the world working hard to change societies for the better while encouraging all of us to be "changemakers" (see www.changemakers.net). A successful social entrepreneur is: willing to be corrected, willing to share the credit, willing to break free of established structures, willing to cross disciplinary boundaries, willing to work quietly, and has a strong ethical impetus. ...more

Aug 09, 2014 Alaa rated it liked it

it was more of an introductory to social entrepreneurship to the public governments, schools etc. Rather than the entrepreneurs themselves.

I disliked the constant mention of other big organizations or 'microfiance' as if it's the only option or the best example. ( although he clarified that it has its downside as well at some point).

the resources he used or mentioned at the end of the book were extremely helpful.

overall a good book and informative but not concrete or practical 1, 2, 3 guide.

it was more of an introductory to social entrepreneurship to the public governments, schools etc. Rather than the entrepreneurs themselves.

I disliked the constant mention of other big organizations or 'microfiance' as if it's the only option or the best example. ( although he clarified that it has its downside as well at some point).

the resources he used or mentioned at the end of the book were extremely helpful.

overall a good book and informative but not concrete or practical 1, 2, 3 guide.

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Nov 07, 2012 Arkar Kyaw rated it did not like it

"A pseudo-inspirational/motivational self-help book from a rich American organization seeking to promote public leadership so that proles are treated with temporary cures and capitalism can keep working smoothly." "A pseudo-inspirational/motivational self-help book from a rich American organization seeking to promote public leadership so that proles are treated with temporary cures and capitalism can keep working smoothly." ...more

Aug 04, 2018 Jules rated it liked it

Interesting case studies, particularly around disability, development and NGO's in a global context.

The book honours the trials, failures, and creative solutions of leaders which is great.

It's operates more like a textbook that paperback which is helpful for students.

It's a bit dry and exhausting to jump from continent to continent and some of the backstory isn't really needed.

The writing meanders and repeats. It could be a bit more brief and could be outlined so it's easier to extract the me

Interesting case studies, particularly around disability, development and NGO's in a global context.

The book honours the trials, failures, and creative solutions of leaders which is great.

It's operates more like a textbook that paperback which is helpful for students.

It's a bit dry and exhausting to jump from continent to continent and some of the backstory isn't really needed.

The writing meanders and repeats. It could be a bit more brief and could be outlined so it's easier to extract the meaning.

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"unfinished"

How to Change the World is one of the most interesting and inspiring books. It basically gives you a good introduction about the work of Social Entrepreneurship; what it means, what it does or can do, who its "heroes" are, and how it can be applied effectively.

"unfinished"

What I find most interesting about this book is how the information is being presented. I really loved the author's writing style and flow of thoughts. Mainly, the book introduces a series of detailed case studies of successful social entrepreneurs. As you go on and on, you feel like the book sorta draws implicitly the know-how of the way social entrepreneurship functions.

It's very recommended for those who are interested in this field in particular as well as those who have causes to live for or those who really want to bring about a positive change to their community or the world as a whole :)

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Nov 30, 2010 Lora rated it liked it

This is an intriguing book. I didn't finish it because I didn't find it entirely captivating (and I was reading a couple other books at the same time), but the idea behind the book and the stories in it are lots of food for thought. The idea of the author is to take a look at social entrepreneurs-- people who have dynamic, viable ideas of how to better their surroundings or the conditions of others in a sustainable way. And through the assistance of a charitable organization, they've done it. I This is an intriguing book. I didn't finish it because I didn't find it entirely captivating (and I was reading a couple other books at the same time), but the idea behind the book and the stories in it are lots of food for thought. The idea of the author is to take a look at social entrepreneurs-- people who have dynamic, viable ideas of how to better their surroundings or the conditions of others in a sustainable way. And through the assistance of a charitable organization, they've done it. I liked this concept because it wasn't just a book about some guy who throws out money to people; instead, he looks for ways to help people help themselves. I may try rereading this one again in the future. ...more

Very interesting collection of case studies in the emerging citizen sector. (As opposed to either public or private, the emerging "citizen sector" is an entity unto itself.)

I found this very informative, and very hopeful. As I recently discussed with a friend, the most viable solution to the ills of this world cannot be government directed. (Yes, i think there is an absolute place for government involvement, as I am somewhat of a socialist, but the truly sustainable changes that need to occur need to occur organically, and through entrepreneurial creativity and ingenuity.) Therefore, this book was a nice counter-balance to the partial-at-best story we see on the news. Good read; I'd recommend it for anyone who thinks that change is necessary and inevitable.

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This book expresses innovate and new methods to development. The writer David is a great thinker! Such kind of ideas are very much important to everybody. To me every time when I read this book, I get many challenges. I see the time is going without doing something big, though I know that the big number (numeric)come from one. So every step I do starts another one.

If all of us could have innovative ideas and put into practice the skills and knowledge that we are learning from books, Colleges an

If all of us could have innovative ideas and put into practice the skills and knowledge that we are learning from books, Colleges and Universities, this world could be the better place to stay.
I encourage everybody to read this book and the vacuum will be fed with something interesting in life and practice what is written and positive changes will happen

Charles Nkwabi from Tanzania
student at AIU

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Jun 23, 2007 Ben rated it really liked it

Some chapters of this book were assigned to me in a college class on social entrepreneurship. I decided to go back and read the whole thing, and was pleased. The writing itself isn't anything to remark on, and it's not especially instructive on the "how" end of things (despite what the title might suggest). What it is, though, is a journalistic set of little vignettes on some seemingly normal people who have done some pretty phenomenal things. It's a quick read, and really quite inspiring. Don't Some chapters of this book were assigned to me in a college class on social entrepreneurship. I decided to go back and read the whole thing, and was pleased. The writing itself isn't anything to remark on, and it's not especially instructive on the "how" end of things (despite what the title might suggest). What it is, though, is a journalistic set of little vignettes on some seemingly normal people who have done some pretty phenomenal things. It's a quick read, and really quite inspiring. Don't expect a phenomenal book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend this for anyone who spends time thinking about finding creative ways to drive social change. ...more

May 24, 2009 Jonathan rated it really liked it

This was given to me at a development conference I was at. It is centered around projects that Ashoka fellows run, with each chapter a summary of the fellow and their idea. I didn't know much about Ashoka before reading this, which appears to be a great organization. The projects are all quite interesting to read about.

The book is definitely worth reading for those interested in social entrepreneurship. However, if could benefit from having tried to extract more "blueprints" as it calls them, f

The book is definitely worth reading for those interested in social entrepreneurship. However, if could benefit from having tried to extract more "blueprints" as it calls them, from the different entrepreneurs to more descriptively explain how to change the world.

Much of the writing is particularly relevant for glocal.

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I would recommend this to anyone interested in the social sector, but who doesn't know a whole ton about it. It's enjoyable to read, with short profiles of Bill Drayton's Ashoka foundation and a selected group of people and their high-impact projects. It eventually makes some interesting conclusions about what qualities a successful social entrepreneur possesses and about how this sector is starting to go through some major transformations. I liked the epilogue about how the author continued to I would recommend this to anyone interested in the social sector, but who doesn't know a whole ton about it. It's enjoyable to read, with short profiles of Bill Drayton's Ashoka foundation and a selected group of people and their high-impact projects. It eventually makes some interesting conclusions about what qualities a successful social entrepreneur possesses and about how this sector is starting to go through some major transformations. I liked the epilogue about how the author continued to pursue the book after 9/11, realizing that there are many more social entrepreneurs than there are terrorists, but that they don't receive nearly as much attention. ...more

It is good to know that the advances in business management and scale from the last 50 years are finally being accepted and acknowledged in the social sector. However those ideas are not the limelight of this book, and it seems the author has had no idea that these concepts have been long established, like a child in a candy store for the first time.

It is a good list of biographies of some social entrepreneurs, however some of those aren't even good ones, but the author doesn't know himself how

It is a good list of biographies of some social entrepreneurs, however some of those aren't even good ones, but the author doesn't know himself how to rate their ability or offer wisdom to how they work.

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Dec 07, 2016 Ajmal Sataar rated it it was amazing

This is the book that started me off on my path to becoming a social entrepreneur. It was great to hear about the true social entrepreneurs, who innovated and worked very hard to solve social problems, simply because it was their calling. Today, we see more social entrepreneurs who run "social enterprises" which have business models attached to them, and that's great too, but I enjoyed hearing the untold stories of these very inspiring people. This is the book that started me off on my path to becoming a social entrepreneur. It was great to hear about the true social entrepreneurs, who innovated and worked very hard to solve social problems, simply because it was their calling. Today, we see more social entrepreneurs who run "social enterprises" which have business models attached to them, and that's great too, but I enjoyed hearing the untold stories of these very inspiring people. ...more

The power of simple and sometimes small ideas, combined with visionary and persistent people, a bit of luck and collaboration with others can and does change the world. This book was so inspiring to me. I like to read about good works done by good people.

May 13, 2020 Mary Thoresen rated it really liked it

This is an encouraging book to read- people who seem powerless being helped by others who might appear powerless, but who think as entrepreneurs. They come up with new ways to help people in big ways!

Feb 22, 2012 Jewel rated it really liked it

The stories of social entrepreneurship in Bornstein's How to Change the World are inspiring and instructive. I read as a textbook, but would read again.

This book is not what the title would suggest. Its just an excuse to promote a particular foundation.

What this book is about?
This book is about getting inspiration to do something extra ordinary because other ordinary people like you and me did it. The way the stories are presented makes you feel that you too could do it.
Here are 5 social entrepreneurs among many who have been researched in this book:
Gloria de Souza: Environmental Studies (EVS), India . Her personal crisis was, "Something is deeply wrong in our society. And I think I can do something very important with this idea. If we can he What this book is about?
This book is about getting inspiration to do something extra ordinary because other ordinary people like you and me did it. The way the stories are presented makes you feel that you too could do it.
Here are 5 social entrepreneurs among many who have been researched in this book:
Gloria de Souza: Environmental Studies (EVS), India . Her personal crisis was, "Something is deeply wrong in our society. And I think I can do something very important with this idea. If we can help children grow up learning to think rather than memorize and repeat, learning to problem solve, learning to be creative, learning to be actors rather than acted upon, we can create a generation that will be very different. And India will be different. And that's a revolution."

Erzsebet Szekeres: Alliance Industrial Union, HungaryHer personal crisis was, " her son, Tibor, had microcephalus , which is a condition that includes, "abnormal smallness of the head and severe mental retardation." To many, the simple solution to dealing with the disabled was to send them to institutions for their lives, this was not an option for Szekeres"

Veronica Khosa: Tateni, South Africa. Her personal crisis was, "Shortly after watching one of her patients die because he was locked in his house with no water, Khosa talked with a group of young prostitutes who wanted different jobs to avoid getting AIDS"

Fabio Rosa: Agroelectric Adequate Technology Systems, Brazil. His personal crisis was, "Rosa initially started working on solving the problem of irrigation for the farmers. The price of water was high for them, and the only good solution for this problem was to use electricity to get the water out of the ground"

Jeroo Billimoria: Childline, India. His personal crisis, "I was very moved by the spirit of survival among the homeless," Billimoria said. She found herself drawn to the children back home in Bombay, India, and discovered that they needed to be acknowledged, that they were "proud""

The book is almost about Ashoka Foundation. It is an organization that
identifies "unicorn" level social entrepreneurs
supports them with their expertise, network & logistics
mainly gives credence, validity and visibility to budding social entrepreneurs
gives financial awards on a yearly basis to top social entrepreneurs

This book inspires us, the readers as warns us also that:
changing the world isn't for the faint hearted
without some shocking life changing events, no social entrepreneur seem to develop:yes pretty much like in movies where the protogonist suffers a personal crisis & builds an organization around it
any social entrepreneurs must be able to work without getting any credit in obscurity for decades
without support from organisations like Ashoka, success is somehow improbable

The writer comes out with 6 common qualities of successful social entrepreneurs. These qualities are necessary for anyone who wants to change the world in some ways.
Willingness to Self-Correct
Willingness to Share Credit
Willingness to Break Free from Established Structures
Willingness to Cross Disciplinary Boundaries
Willingness to Work Quietly
Strong Ethical Impetus

How is it useful to you in your :
Life
Reading this book and learning about the life stories of social entrepreneurs that basically share a typical movie like storyline as I mentioned above of a personal life changing event that provides and impetus to transform one's frustration into a kind of universal solution.

This book reminds us that success isn't overnight and takes decades as well as support from others.

Business
Now that many banks and corporate houses are involved in CSR, this book gives a framework with Ashoka how they can produce much greater impact in society by identifying and helping social entrepreneurs instead of giving away few items or building a few structures.

Career
This book tells the importance of patience, versatility and collaboration in finding success. Also the six qualities listed above are useful for all us. We can see them in all the stories of the social entrepreneurs.

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Jan 04, 2020 Eliza Doll rated it it was amazing

This book will be another one that I will likely refer back to for years. A quote from a NYT review on the front says that this is "A bible in the field", and I believe it to be. Even though the the quantity of books related directly to social business/entrepreneurship/the like that I have read have been few (Give Work, Building a Social Business, Banker to the Poor, World of Three Zeroes, Moment of Lift, and I'll add in there Factualness, Sapiens -at times, and Talking to my Daughter About Capi This book will be another one that I will likely refer back to for years. A quote from a NYT review on the front says that this is "A bible in the field", and I believe it to be. Even though the the quantity of books related directly to social business/entrepreneurship/the like that I have read have been few (Give Work, Building a Social Business, Banker to the Poor, World of Three Zeroes, Moment of Lift, and I'll add in there Factualness, Sapiens -at times, and Talking to my Daughter About Capitalism), they have made me realize that this is the field of work that I am really energized to learn more about and to be in...helping solve social issues through creative business solutions. Bornstein's first book chronicled the inception of Grameen Bank, the social business micro lending bank in Bangladesh started by Muhammad Yunus, who I credit for inspiring me to learn about social business to a point where now I literally get pumped reading about these incredible businesses that people have formed, all centering around social causes.

This book follows the journeys of countless Ashoka Fellows (social entrepreneurship fund started by Bill Drayton, former head of EPA and countless other revolutionary initiatives, including joining the NAACP when he was 14) who have systematically changed the lives of those in their communities (or many communities) for the better.

Drayton was influenced by the ideas of Ghandi, and in particular an insight that ethics are guided not by rules, but by empathy. To put it simply, he believed in the power of good and of each life being of equal importance, and dedicated his life to that.

The stories of a few of the Ashoka Fellows in this book include:
- Vera Cordeiro's post-hostipatlization health care in Rio de Janeiro (she challenged the pre-existing systems by realizing that is simply made no sense to discharge poor children from hospitals without following up)
- J.B. Schramm's College Summit started in Washington, DC (the lower income students that achieve the absolute best grades in school are often propelled to great learning institutions for college while the ones just below the highest achievers are often forgotten about of don't end up going to college. Started College summit to work with those students and encourage higher education)
- Jeroo Billimoria's Child Protection hotline in India, Childline (24 hr toll free emergency response hotline for children in India - one solid quote in that chapter I remember is "empathy begins with understanding")

The list of social pioneers goes on even well past those explained in this book. I learned lessons about the scrappiness of starting something - there is no one way. There is just a will needed to do it. And each of these people are filled, FILLED with empathy, understanding, a mind encouraged to encourage others. It is uplifting, yet it shows how much help and progress can be made with more people like these people out there doing this sort of work.

To conclude the book, Bornstein reflects on some main takeaways about social entrepreneurship that he learned while interviewing Ashoka Fellows, Bill Drayton, Muhammad Yunus, and others driven to make social change. Here are some big things that stuck with me:
- I am already thinking about how to act on this passion: can go to school for it, get involved in an org even on a small scale, find a fellowship, reach out to leaders in the field - have started a bit
- The emergence of the "citizen sector" (the term used for these social international citizen organizations) is going through (at the time of pub in 2004-07) vigorous changes, similar to what the business sector went through over the past 3 centuries. The turn and the inception of such a movement is a good time to be involved
- There is a lack of understanding on how these organizations perform, as there is sensitivity in critiquing organizations that's centered around doing good. Yet, maybe there are ways to assess these businesses, such as having citizen sector research analysts who responsibly analyze how well these orgs are doing, in order to encourage the development of the citizen sector. This could lead to more proper allocation of funds to the organizations that are creating the most legitimate impact on society or that have the most novel ideas to break a crippling trend, etc. The reviews/judgements of these analysts could be checked by reviewers, financed by people, and reports may be purchased by investors just as they purchase investment advice today.
- Loved the comparison of numerical metrics/quantifiable social returns vs qualitative considerations. "It is important to remember that numbers have an unfortunate tendency to supersede other kinds of knowing. The human mind is a miracle of subtlety: It can assimilate thousands of pieces of soft information - impressions, experiences, intuition - and produce wonderfully nuanced decisions. Numbers are problematic to the extent that they give the illusion of providing more truth than they actually do. They also favor what is easiest to measure, not what is the most important. They can easily be used to dress up failure as success - as when a company boosts its short-term profits by slashing its R&D budget."
- Media can develop this world of social entrepreneurship by spreading the stories - increasing the literacy in this area. Maybe people don't engage in social business/business centered around the common good because they don't necessarily know as much about it/don't read the success stories like they do of traditional businesses in Forbes. ---- pp. 290 "The remarkable story of the emerging citizens sector goes untold. The absence of the story makes the image of the world that I receive seem like a doctored photograph - a digital image of a landscape in which the trees have been edited out" HOLY MOLY yes - This kind of good in the world/these ventures to just help others at all costs makes me feel like (in a non literal sense) at a time, I could not see the nature that has always been around be but never shown to me and I had to go find it. The common person should be interacting with this citizen sector in conversation, in practice, in it being a viable life path to pursue in life and not some foreign concept.
- "People who solve problems must somehow first arrive at the belief that they CAN solve problems" love that.

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Apr 26, 2018 Jane Paula rated it it was amazing

I have always been fascinated by the notion of social Entrepreneurship. The book is an excellent introduction to the work of a social entrepreneur.

In the book, Bornstein follows the stories of different Ashoka fellows, documenting their journey through life and their ventures, illustrating how ordinary people take action to do remarkable things.

Among the specific things I learned was the qualities of a social entrepreneur:
1. Willingness to self-correct and change course upon evidence of heading

I have always been fascinated by the notion of social Entrepreneurship. The book is an excellent introduction to the work of a social entrepreneur.

Among the specific things I learned was the qualities of a social entrepreneur:
1. Willingness to self-correct and change course upon evidence of heading in the wrong direction
2. Willingness to share credit. Their true intention is not recognition, but rather making change happen, so sharing credit comes naturally
3. Willingness to break free of established structures.
4. Willingness to cross disciplinary boundaries and combine resources in a new way
5. Willingness to work quietly
6. Strong Ethical impetus.
Finally, motivation for a social entrepreneur usually stems from an early role model with strong values, and/or a painful experience that brands the individual in some way

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Rating:
//1 star for the content + 1 star for the topic and importance + 1 star for all the effort put into writing this book

The author talks too much, but doesn't really say anything. This book has too much content, but little essential themes and ideas. I personally love Entrepreneurship and new ideas that can change the world, yet this book fails to portrait it in an engaging way. Also, this book is not about what the title suggests: "How to Change the World". This book is about people who has contributed their fair share to society; who has cause great change. In other words, this book does not directly answers the question: How to Change the World.

Besides from that, the author presents some great information such as the definition of an entrepreneur and some other great points. More importantly, this book gives me hope. It shows me that there are great people out there doing great things for the planet and society.

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Apr 08, 2018 Iain Hamill rated it really liked it

Interesting reading and inspiring once you can look past the rather pretentious title...

A potted history of the Ashoka organisation, worked up through case studies of some of the presumably more successful social enterprises they have been involved with!

Like most of the more accessible literature in the field of social enterprise - the focus is on anecdote and case study, with no real attempt to link to the few theoretical articles in the better third sector journals.

It's the people and case s

Interesting reading and inspiring once you can look past the rather pretentious title...

A potted history of the Ashoka organisation, worked up through case studies of some of the presumably more successful social enterprises they have been involved with!

It's the people and case studies that bring the subject to life so I can fully understand this emphasis, however it would be nice to see more of the underlying economics and accounting models.

With so much focus on unique and driven founders, some analysis on what happens when the "second generation" take over would also be useful.

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Social entrepreneurs: "We hear little about them. Indeed, most of the news we receive focuses on the troubles in the world. Clearly, we face a cascade of challenges and dangers at home and abroad - and we need to know about them. But while we are inundated with stories of violence, corruption and incompetence we hear relatively little about the struggles and successes of the people who are advancing positive changes. The ratio of problem-focused information to solution-focused information in the Social entrepreneurs: "We hear little about them. Indeed, most of the news we receive focuses on the troubles in the world. Clearly, we face a cascade of challenges and dangers at home and abroad - and we need to know about them. But while we are inundated with stories of violence, corruption and incompetence we hear relatively little about the struggles and successes of the people who are advancing positive changes. The ratio of problem-focused information to solution-focused information in the media is completely out of balance. It distorts reality; it is dispiriting; and it deprives people of the knowledge they need to properly assess risks and recognize opportunities." From preface ...more

David Bornstein specializes in writing about social innovation. He is the author of The Price of a Dream and How to Change the World, which has been published in 20 languages. His articles have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times, and many other publications globally. He co-wrote the PBS documentary "To Our Credit." He is the founder of Dowser.org, a Web site devoted to uncovering David Bornstein specializes in writing about social innovation. He is the author of The Price of a Dream and How to Change the World, which has been published in 20 languages. His articles have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times, and many other publications globally. He co-wrote the PBS documentary "To Our Credit." He is the founder of Dowser.org, a Web site devoted to uncovering stories of change. He lives in New York City. ...more

Luvvie Ajayi Jones—author, cultural critic, digital entrepreneur—might be best described as a professional truthteller. Her crazily popular...

"Poverty is not only a lack of money, it's a lack of sense of meaning." — 32 likes

"An idea is like a play. It needs a good producer and a good promoter even if it is a masterpiece. Otherwise the play may never open; or it may open but, for a lack of an audience, close after a week. Similarly, an idea will not move from the fringes to the mainstream simply because it is good; it must be skillfully marketed before it will actually shift people's perceptions and behavior." — 28 likes

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