January 29, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
NEW BOOKS
The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets That Change the World
by John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan
Entrepreneurs working to solve social problems may be considered unreasonable, even crazy, by the general public because they want to change existing systems, because they are emotionally driven, “insanely ambitious,” and because they see possibilities for profit where no one else can.
In this book, John Elkington, a consultant on corporate responsibility and sustainable development, and Pamela Hartigan, managing director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, examine what makes social entrepreneurs tick, the challenges they face, the implications of their work, and the lessons they can pass on to others.
The writers show how the “unreasonable” qualities of social entrepreneurs can create dramatic goals and results, such as Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Earth Challenge, which seeks to find a commercially viable technology that will remove one billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year for 10 years. The nonprofit groups City Year and First Book are also mentioned, among others, as cases of successful ventures led by social entrepreneurs.
Mr. Elkington and Ms. Hartigan also identify 10 “opportunity spaces” where social entrepreneurs can step in and solve present and future challenges, including an expanding world population, attendant nutrition and natural-resource shortages, educational disparities, and environmental concerns.
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, Mass. 02163; (617) 783-7510; fax (617) 783-7489; http://www.hbspress.org; 256 pages; $27.50; ISBN 978-1-4221-0406-4.
