Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Ebook172 pages1 hour
Small Change: Why Business Won't Save the World
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
A powerful critique of a seemingly beneficial trend that is actually undermining the effectiveness of philanthropy
Written by an insider -- a former official with several high-profile nonprofits
Co-published with the prominent New York think tank Demos
A new movement is afoot that promises to save the world by bringing the magic of the market to philanthropy. Nonprofits should be run like businesses, its adherents say, and businesses can find new sources of revenue by marketing goods and services that benefit society. Dubbed “philanthrocapitalism,” its supporters believe that business principles can and should be the primary drivers of social transformation. What could be wrong with that?
Plenty, argues, former Ford Foundation director Michael Edwards. In this hard-hitting, controversial expose he marshals a wealth of evidence to show just how far short the promise of philnthrocapitalism has fallen, and why the whole concept is fundamentally flawed.
Some business practices can be beneficial to nonprofits, and it’s definitely a good thing that the for-profit sector is developing a social conscience. Edwards carefully specifies when businesses and business thinking can help. But to really get at the root causes of the systemic problems most nonprofits wrestle with—hunger, poverty, disease, violence—requires a completely different way of operating. Social transformation demands cooperation rather than competition, collective action more than individual effort, and values patient, long-term support for solutions over short-term results.
Philanthrocapitalism concentrates power in the hands of a few major players, mirroring the very inequities civil organizations should be trying to ameliorate. With a vested interest in the status quo it shies away from fundamental change. At most all it can promise is valuable but limited advances: small change. Ultimately, Edwards argues that the use of business thinking can and does corrupt civil society. It’s time to differentiate the two and re-assert the independence of global citizen action.
Written by an insider -- a former official with several high-profile nonprofits
Co-published with the prominent New York think tank Demos
A new movement is afoot that promises to save the world by bringing the magic of the market to philanthropy. Nonprofits should be run like businesses, its adherents say, and businesses can find new sources of revenue by marketing goods and services that benefit society. Dubbed “philanthrocapitalism,” its supporters believe that business principles can and should be the primary drivers of social transformation. What could be wrong with that?
Plenty, argues, former Ford Foundation director Michael Edwards. In this hard-hitting, controversial expose he marshals a wealth of evidence to show just how far short the promise of philnthrocapitalism has fallen, and why the whole concept is fundamentally flawed.
Some business practices can be beneficial to nonprofits, and it’s definitely a good thing that the for-profit sector is developing a social conscience. Edwards carefully specifies when businesses and business thinking can help. But to really get at the root causes of the systemic problems most nonprofits wrestle with—hunger, poverty, disease, violence—requires a completely different way of operating. Social transformation demands cooperation rather than competition, collective action more than individual effort, and values patient, long-term support for solutions over short-term results.
Philanthrocapitalism concentrates power in the hands of a few major players, mirroring the very inequities civil organizations should be trying to ameliorate. With a vested interest in the status quo it shies away from fundamental change. At most all it can promise is valuable but limited advances: small change. Ultimately, Edwards argues that the use of business thinking can and does corrupt civil society. It’s time to differentiate the two and re-assert the independence of global citizen action.
Unavailable
Author
Michael Edwards
Michael Edwards was born in Brixton and left school at fifteen to become a cabinet maker’s apprentice. He has worked in the City, as a flour factor and cereals importer, a director of a food packing company, and as a legal archivist. He lives in Bournemouth with his wife Ann.
Read more from Michael Edwards
Small Change: Why Business Won't Save the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wolfskin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFather Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGravity -True For You But Not For Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Guilty Conscience Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnother Art of Poetry and Doorstones Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUntimely Christianity: Hearing the Bible in a Secular Age Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWild Oats Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Journey of Many Lifetimes Part One Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSword of Three Kingdoms Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Peaceful Ride Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStalhouse Ch 5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsScarlet Tie Episode 1 Book 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRealization Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Perpetual Strangeness of the Bible Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMagic City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExcuse Line: 101 Excuses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRahib Chronicles of Islandor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dragon That Ate the Sun Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTight Space Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Key-Master and Tyke the Teen of Tomorrow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShow Me The Meaning...Of Love, Loss, and Regret Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsScratch Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMr. Always Right, Until Along Came a Woman Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Meta Summoner Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDear Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Small Change
Related ebooks
The Ethical Economy: Rebuilding Value After the Crisis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeyond the World Bank Agenda: An Institutional Approach to Development Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrading Places: Accessing land in African cities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBuilding a Win-Win World: Life Beyond Global Economic Warfare Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPublic participation A Complete Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChange Finance, Not The Climate Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConvivial Futures: Views from a Post-Growth Tomorrow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShare This!: How You Will Change the World with Social Networking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Help or Harm: The Human Security Effects of International NGOs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Geopolitics of Green Colonialism: Global Justice and Ecosocial Transitions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Spirit of Leadership: Liberating the Leader in Each of Us Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe World Bank Unveiled: Inside the revolutionary struggle for transparency Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Introduction to Economic Inequality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Good That Business Does Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Return of the Public: Democracy, Power and the Case for Media Reform Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRethinking Capitalism: Economics and Policy for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Austerity Business: 39 Tips for Doing More With Less Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCreating Wealth: Growing Local Economies with Local Currencies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNavigating Austerity: Currents of Debt along a South Asian River Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaking Africa Work Through the Power of Innovative Volunteerism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Shareholder Action Guide: Unleash Your Hidden Powers to Hold Corporations Accountable Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaking the Cut: Hiring Decisions, Bias, and the Consequences of Nonstandard, Mismatched, and Precarious Employment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReflections on Identity in Four African Cities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOttawa and Empire: Canada and the Military Coup in Honduras Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Place of Thorns: Black political protest in Kroonstad since 1976 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Global Commonwealth of Citizens: Toward Cosmopolitan Democracy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSocial Entrepreneurs & Change Makers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNation Formation and Social Cohesion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlack Gardenias: A Collection of Poems, Stories, and Sayings From a Woman's Heart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Social Science For You
All About Love: New Visions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A People's History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Come As You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, & Magnetic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Men Explain Things to Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Close Encounters with Addiction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Human Condition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Secret Garden: Women's Sexual Fantasies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (Oprah's Book Club Selection) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Women Don't Owe You Pretty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Small Change
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
2 ratings0 reviews