How to Change the World

http://www.howtochangetheworld.org

Author Dave Bornstein sends his regards - maybe the best-known spokesperson for social entrepreneurship globally, Dave’s message contains several elements that resonate for Idaho & how we want to change our little corner of the world.

I’m here at a new conference (www.wunchicago.org) focused on the newest best practices on how to grow entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. (These overlap - those of us -those of YOU - championing a more entrepreneurial Idaho are social entrepreneurs.)

I just spoke on how entrepreneurship & social entrepreneurship training changes you - great fun with an audience who were smart, global, from all sorts of disciplines and… skeptical. They made me work, LOL! I’m on a social entrepreneurship session too, but the “good stuff” are things like chatting with Dave B. & constant discussion about how to really make entrepreneurship-based economic development happen. Might even end up with a book deal, as I seem to be the one person everyone knows. [Yes, Virginia, there's one good thing about being old older.... LOL]

I will try to check back in whenever I hear something that this audience would dig.

If ANY of you have a question that I might pose to the experts in entrepreneurial development, let me know!

norris.krueger@gmail.com ; 208.440.3747

UPDATE 1:

I’m boggled by what other people are doing - often with very little money involved. (Or with a ton of money, like the University of Illinois… very bottom-up, driven by students & the community. Entrepreneurship in music ed? Asian studies? In Spanish language classes? Color me envious!

It remains crystal clear that top-down programs can’t help but become fatally bureaucratized, while bottom-up programs risk getting shot by the envious (whether this is state, university, city or the IMF.)

An interesting story was a failed effort by the World Bank to directly pour millions into social ventures in disadvantaged, often rural areas. However, when some of the junior staffers essentially privatized the effort as a venture fund for social entrepreneurs… it started working. Gotta learn more about that one, but nobody seems to be truly effective at promoting ventures - including tech-based ventures - without using either a private sector vehicle or public-private partnership. The Reverend will be happy to hear that the best ROI is investing in the private or public/private “connectors” - like those young refugees from the World Bank.

Next up, economist Art Brooks who’s found very good reason why we all should increase out charitable giving. (Not that anyone is actually reading this, LOL)

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