Stanford Social Innovation Review

Social entrepreneurs are inventing new technologies to solve the world’s problems – disease, malnutrition, pollution, and illiteracy – to name just a few. But it takes more than a fancy new gadget to make life better. That’s why the organizations profiled here are working with businesses, NGOs, and governments to get their inventions into the hands of those who need them most.

SSIR Academic Editor Jim Phills sat down with former NBA superstar Kevin Johnson to discuss how he’s revitalizing his old inner-city neighborhood.

Find out why Method home products keep their eco-friendliness under very attractive wraps.

You know the world is changing when the largest corporate buy-out in history hinges on an environmental commitment. That’s what happened in February when two top private equity firms enlisted the help of Environmental Defense, a nonprofit that finds practical solutions to environmental problems, to acquire TXU Corp., the largest utility in Texas.

Michael Parker pays his new Spanish tutor $17 less than he paid his old teacher in Iowa. But his new teacher, Yesenia Mateu Grave, takes away double her normal fee. Thanks to Web conferencing, Mateu Grave teaches students around the world from her hometown in Antigua, Guatemala, via a site called Speak Shop, combining audio, video, and online chat for a classroom-like experience.

Five tips for designing workplaces that nurture great ideas. 

How the next president of the United States can spur social entrepreneurship.

Financial aid discourages innovative solutions to poverty. 

Ballet Memphis leverages its understanding of local
culture – Elivs, gospel, rockability, and African-American
stories – to compete against touring Broadway blockbusters.

Though they have their opponents, boutique-style
services can subsidize care for the poor.

Converting corporate waste into classroom tools.

How an all-natural Mexican farming cooperative is improving its community while making a bundle.

Happiness, not melancholy, helps sparks innovation.

How management can follow medicine’s lead and rely on evidence, not on half-truths.

A Czech social enterprise uses woodworking to help drug addicts.

Managing innovation is more like leading a jazz band than conducting an orchestra.

Innovative plays are good for all theaters, but lucrative for only a few.

Larger social service organizations may result in less innovation.

The San Francisco Recycling Center gussies up the globe with recycled paint.

Why eco-friendly products may be bad for the environment.