NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

By Steve Waddell & Friedemann Polzin

“Systems change” has become a ubiquitous topic of interest for anyone serious about addressing our multiple social-environmental-economic-governance crises. Yet for all its ubiquity, the term tends to be applied very loosely, to many different things. Sometimes it means changes to an old system, but it might also be used to describe the expansion of an old systems change that has since been superseded by a new approach. Diverse perspectives on systems change are valuable, but a cacophony of different meanings can confuse the issue and produce ineffective investment strategies, even contribute to deep problems in financing change.

Photo courtesy of SomeDriftwood.