1.14.2004 ET

(CSRwire) NEW YORK - Around the world a wave of innovators are reshaping their societies and recharting the course of history. A new generation of social entrepreneurs - individuals who combine creativity, real-world savvy and extraordinary determination - are quietly solving some of the world's most pressing problems. These bold leaders - from doctors to lawyers, from engineers to journalists - are successfully demonstrating that one individual with a powerful idea and an intense drive to succeed, can bring positive changes to the lives of millions. Award-winning journalist David Bornstein investigates this emerging phenomenon in his new book HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas (www.howtochangetheworld.org) (February, 2004, $28, Hardcover).


HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD shows ordinary people who are succeeding in solving the world's most critical social problems. What business entrepreneurs are to the economy, social entrepreneurs are to social change. They are the creative, driven individuals who question the status quo, exploit new opportunities, refuse to take "no" for an answer, and transform visions into reality - demonstrating newer and better ways to attack problems and implementing their solutions on a major scale.

From an American teen counselor who has helped thousands of low-income students reach college and fulfill their potential, to a South African nurse who designed a new model for providing care for AIDS patients that has revolutionized government health policy, to a Brazilian engineer who devised an ingenious system to deliver low-cost, environmentally-sound energy to hundreds of thousands of poor farmers, HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD spans the globe telling the fascinating stories of these social entrepreneurs and showing how they have overcome opposition and indifference, succeeding beyond all odds. Bornstein profiles nine remarkable men and women, including James Grant, an American credited with saving the lives of 25 million children by orchestrating and "marketing" a global campaign for immunization, Jeroo Billimoria, who has spread a child-protection network across India, rescuing tens of thousands of children from abuse, injury and neglect, and Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka, an organization that has identified and supported 1,400 social entrepreneurs, leveraging the power of their ideas across the globe.

These extraordinary stories highlight a massive transformation that is going largely unreported: worldwide, the fastest-growing segment of society is the nonprofit sector. While everybody has heard about the growth of the "dot coms," millions have still not heard the big story: the worldwide explosion of "dot orgs." As millions of ordinary people are stepping in to solve problems that governments and bureaucracies have failed to address, HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD shows that with determination and innovation, even a single person can make an unforgettable difference. For anyone seeking to change their career, their worldview, or the world itself, this is both an inspiring read and an invaluable handbook.

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About the Author

David Bornstein is a journalist who specializes in writing about social innovation. His first book, The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank was selected as a finalist for the New York Public Library Book Award for Excellence in Journalism. His articles have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly and the New York Times, and he co-wrote the PBS documentary "To Our Credit." He lives in New York City.

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HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas
By David Bornstein
Oxford University Press
February 2004; $28.00
ISBN: 0-19-513805-8

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