Description: Social Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice details how social entrepreneurship can creatively solve pressing and seemingly insurmountable social problems. Theories of social change are presented to help demystify the "magic" of making an immense, yet durable and irreversible social impact. In-depth case studies from multiple disciplines and from around the globe document how social entrepreneurs foster bottom-up change that empowers people and societies. The authors review the specific personality traits of social entrepreneurs and introduce the new leadership model required for 21st-century development. This book is valuable to undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students, while remaining accessible to non-academic readers due to its clear language, illustrative case studies, and guidelines on how to apply social entrepreneurship, or become a successful social entrepreneur.
Brief description: Ryszard Praszkier, Ph.D., is a researcher at the University of Warsaw Complex Systems Research Center. His main field of interest involves the mechanisms of profound peaceful transitions, including social-change processes facilitated by social entrepreneurs, with a special focus on the role and properties of social networks supporting durable social change. Dr Praszkier has authored several academic publications regarding how social entrepreneurs find innovative ways to approach intractable conflicts. For more than 15 years, he has worked for Ashoka, Innovators for the Public, an international association that promotes social entrepreneurship in more than 70 countries.
Review Quotes: "World changers who are seeking inspiration, guidance, and how-to's should read this book; each of the twelve chapters is an encyclopedic synthesis of compelling social entrepreneurs' stories and successful models for growing positive impact and building networks that improve society."
- R. Paul Herman, CEO, www.HIPinvestor.com