Can entrepreneurs operate in a free market where success is measured not just in financial profit but also in the improvement of the quality of people’s lives? What are social entrepreneurs and what is social entrepreneurship? Social entrepreneurship has rapidly become the most influential idea of our time. It represents an exciting and emerging set of models for systemic, positive, social and environmental change. Our best hopes for the future of humanity lie in the power and effectiveness of socially motivated, highly empowered individuals who will fight for changes in the way we live, think and behave. Social entrepreneurs are the practical dreamers who have the skill and the vision to solve problems and to change the world for the better. Social entrepreneurs develop micro-level political structures to challenge established institutional patterns that block social change. Most social entrepreneurship is not the product of single charismatic individuals but of ideas generated, propagated, and implemented by groups, networks, and formal or informal organizations. In this course we will examine the growth in the number of socially entrepreneurial organizations globally that address various social and environmental issues and also look at how these organizations are moving into the mainstream. This course will synthesize research and lessons from practice by leading social entrepreneurs and scholars in the field. It aims to help future social entrepreneurs succeed in building a better world where all people, regardless of geography, background or economic status, enjoy and employ the full range of their talents and abilities.
