The internet is not just an information highway. It’s an education highway with endless lanes and almost unlimited (and free) resources on everything from artificial intelligence to creating a start-up for students to drive their own learning. That’s why they’re called Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs. A massive number of people sign up. But […]
Why would a man from Morocco who doesn’t have enough to eat buy a TV? How do we make schools work for poor citizens? Does foreign aid help or hinder? Without property rights, is life destined to be “nasty, brutish & short”? These are the questions asked in the introduction to the edX online course, […]
Got a social enterprise you want to scale up? Dan Berelowitz, co-founder and chief executive of the International Centre for Social Franchising (ICSF), suggests this 10-point checklist for self-assessing your project’s readiness. [wooslider slider_type=”attachments”] Sharing this list in UK daily newspaper The Guardian, he proposed giving a score out of 10 for each question, where […]
In a world with no landline phones, mobile phones are a big part of life. But if there’s also no national power grid, finding ways to charge those phones can become an even bigger part of life. Another case study Among the consequences are the fact that people choose phones according to battery life, passing […]
HIPPY SA, or Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-school Youngsters in South Africa, is an interesting illustration of the process around social benefit and scalability. The organisation started in Israel in 1969 and focuses on three to five-year-old children, their parents and the broader home environment. The core philosophy is that parents need to be […]
Social and commercial franchising share the goal of achieving quality-consistent business quicker, easier and with less risk. But can social enterprises truly be replicated and franchised like commercial chains? And if so, will the result be (finger-lickin’) good? [wooslider slider_type=”attachments”] Kentucky Fried Chicken and Nando’s are like birds that migrate to new and distant lands. […]
In social finance circles, SIBs are a topic of hot debate. Most debaters do buy into the concept. But, because they are still in their infancy, many are waiting for evidence as opposed to anecdotes – tested models and impact-confirming outcomes to convince them that these instruments really work. In the mean time, debate continues…
So far, the story of Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) has been unfolding in the UK, US and, more recently, Australia. But now, as intermediaries look to bring SIB structures to Africa, Asia and Latin America, a whole new chapter of innovation is under way. [wooslider slider_type=”attachments”] Recognising the pivotal role that development finance institutions, corporations […]
Peterborough – The first SIB ever Background Launched officially in September 2010 with the Ministry of Justice in the UK. The aim was to prevent recidivism by working with 3 000 male short-sentence prisoners leaving Peterborough prison. The plan UK firm Social Finance raised £5-million from 17 social investors, to be drawn over six years […]
Social Impact Bonds are a way for public, nonprofit, and private sectors to adapt to new economic climates and collaborate to provide sustainable solutions with a measurable impact on society. | CONCEPT BY: Dr Alex Nicholls, Saïd Business School, Oxford |
In 2012, Jim Clifford knew that the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA) in the UK was extremely effective at placing challenging children with adoptive parents. More effective than government programmes that wait for aspirant parents to approach them. As head of the not-for-profit advisory at accounting firm Baker Tilly, and an adoptive parent himself, […]
The world is changing. And so is the way we use information to assess and describe it. That’s why today’s organisations are looking for more visual data, and today’s infographics speak more than a thousand words. Thomas shares the trends behind the change… [wooslider slider_type=”attachments”] 1 Results count more… In my experience and in many […]
Infographics are not just pretty pictures. The good ones, that is. They are new and innovative ways of presenting information in an increasingly visual and results orientated world. We call it “innovisualisation”. Here’s why your data needs it now.
To some people technology is not as interesting as its ability to empower, uplift and educate people. This is only done when technology is “democratised” and available more widely and cheaply. When it reaches people and so has a purpose. Let’s think about that for a moment. [wooslider slider_type=”attachments”] When Piet Strieker, a volunteer teacher […]
Africa’s mobile revolution is a trending topic on the continent’s ever-swelling wave of cellphone use and multi-sector apps. But is it an actual revolution that’s driving real social change? Or is it just tech-happy hype and, if so, what does this mean for Africa’s future? It took 10 years for The Economist to eat its […]
“What if countries competed with each other to become the most socially innovative in the world ” – Matthew Bishop, New York Bureau Chief of The Economist and Social Progress Imperative advisory board member What if they did? And what if they also competed to become the happiest or the most progressive? Wouldn’t that be […]
