How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Updated Edition 2nd Edition

"Rejoicing in the world, His earth,And having my delight in the sons of men." -- Proverbs 8:31Can one person make a difference for the poor, the helpless, and those with no hope? The case histories in this book will encourage you to think that it's more than possible: The process can be studied, taught, and encouraged as journalist David Bornstein recounts this point through his story of what the Ashoka foundation is doing to develop social entrepreneurs and establish a discipline that can be rapidly improved through sharing of best practices. Whether you are a social entrepreneur, want to become one, or want to encourage what they do, this book is must reading. It systematizes much of what is scattered throughout many speeches, good stories, brief articles, and a variety of excellent books.The book's main weakness is that it doesn't do enough to draw more than big-picture conclusions about social entrepreneurs. To me, those profiled here simply look like successful business model innovators who care more about the social impact of what they do than the financial rewards for themselves. As a result, the book's focus is a little too narrow to be totally useful. There are also for-profit entrepreneurs who great vast amounts of social benefit using different, but similar, methods to what is described here. Both groups can learn a lot from one another. I suspect that there are also other streams of creativity conjoining as well, such as I often see accomplished by people who want to systematically raise up socially conscious entrepreneurs by the tens of millions in Africa, Asia, and South America.I hope that this book will be updated and expanded in scope every year or two. That will be a great blessing for those who are interested in the field and those who want to help it advance.Bravo, Mr. Bornstein!

Bornstein is a compelling and thorough storyteller. As a master's student studying social entrepreneurship, I would have to agree with the New York Times' accolades; this book can be considered a bible in the field. After the first reading of this book, I have a better grasp on the critical characteristics required for aspiring change makers. More importantly, I recognize that the power of new ideas deserves the attention of anyone who has ever dreamed of anything new before.True, this book title will most likely attract the already altruistic, but Bornstein makes a convincing case for anyone teetering on the edge of action. Rather than a traditional "how-to" guide with specific instructions, How to Change the World reads more like a documentary. Bornstein entices his audience with inspirational stories about seemingly ordinary folks jostled so deeply by a world's need that they felt no other choice to but to devote their entirety to bringing about a better future. It is about people whose tonics are their pivotal and innovative ideas. Foundational principles that undergird these social entrepreneurs and their ventures are woven throughout the stories and later clarified in several chapters. Researched for over five years, this book boils down countless interviews with Ashoka fellows and Bill Drayton himself.While it is difficult to articulate a single definition to capture a social entrepreneur, Bornstein was able to describe he or she as an "obsessive individual who takes the initiative to act on that vision, who gathers resources and builds organizations to protect and market that vision, who provides the energy and sustained forces to overcome the inevitable resistance, and who--decade after decade--keeps improving, strengthening, and broadening that vision until what was once a marginal idea has become a new norm" (p. 3).The author retraces how he came to this conclusion by meandering through the critical landscape of social entrepreneurship today. If you find Malcolm Gladwell's insights on innovation fascinating, you should enjoy Bornstein's take on the phenomenon of social ideas and their tipping points.