Francisco Noguera

Time to Refresh Your Social Entrepreneurship Reading Wishlist

2009 was a big editorial year for those of us interested in the role of business and entrepreneurship combating poverty. Jacqueline Novogratz’s The Blue Sweater, Portfolios of the Poor, Microfinance for Bankers and Investors and a 5-year anniversary revisited version of Prahalad’s Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid are just some of the titles that came out last year and you should check out. We’ll make sure to keep adding relevant to Grace Augustine’s BoP 101 NextBillion article.

Well, this year kicked off on a high note with the come-back of David Bornstein, the author of important pieces like The Price of a Dream and How to Change The World. I’m thrilled to share this news, as Bornstein’s writing was undoubtedly a huge influence as I became interested and involved in social enterprise. His new book, Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know (for which he teamed up with Susan Davis, co-founder of the Grameen Foundation) looks like a practical sequel to How to Change The World. Offering concrete examples of the challenges faced by social ventures and shedding light on the issues that make social enterprises different from traditional businesses, it looks like it will be more a reference tool and less a collection of enlightening stories. I cannot wait to get my hands on it, but will have to breathe deep and wait a couple of months before it’s published.

Bornstein is not the only editorial happening in the BoP space this year. I know that several thought leaders in this space have been working hard on a piece to reflect on the evolution of the Base of the Pyramid idea. The piece will be co-authored by folks like Jacqueline Novogratz, Al Hammond, Stu Hart, Ted London and many more. So keep your eyes open and please chime into the conversation offering your thoughts and critiques here at NextBillion.

Categories
Uncategorized