Social Entrepreneurship in ICTD

"Social Entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish, or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the entire fishing industry."

— Bill Drayton, Founder of Ashoka

What is social entrepreneurship? In spite of the current popularity of the term, there is little agreement on the practices it entails. Alternatively, a broad variety of business and nonprofit practitioners call themselves social entrepreneurs. This has led Sally Osberg, CEO of the Skoll Foundation, and other leaders of the field, to call for a more precise definition.

This seminar provides a theoretical and practical introduction to social entrepreneurship in the area of ICT for Development. From the emerging literature on the subject and guest speakers, students will explore the larger political and social context of social entrepreneurship, the possibilities for creating social change through innovation, market-based models, and how to measure social impact.

Students will also gain practical experiences through a semester-long project addressing a local social problem. Through expert workshops on product design/development, community engagement and business development, field trips and group presentations, students will learn hands-on how to design social enterprise solutions, as well as the potentials and pitfalls of using ICT to address social problems.