Argentina, as the rest of Latin America, has been bombarded with social problems that have not yet found a durable solution. However, in the past few years, some individuals have been testing a different approach to problem solving. This course introduces students to the perspectives and endeavors of thought leaders and social entrepreneurs who are committed to furthering a social mission and improving society. It reviews some of the basic issues they confront: the choice of for-profit / nonprofit structure, the necessity of earned-income strategies among nonprofits, and the degree to which social entrepreneurs/enterprises can manage the toughest social and environmental issues. It also examines current models that are being modified in scale and replicated throughout the region and worldwide.
Learning outcomes:
At the end of this course students will be able to:
Understand why nonprofits and citizen sector organizations are adopting entrepreneurial strategies.
Understand the social entrepreneurship sector in Argentina and Latin America through case studies and interaction with local social entrepreneurs and leaders of the citizen sector.
Discuss the critical success factors identified by pioneers in the field and why unconventional solutions to social problems triggers massive social change.
Differentiate social entrepreneurship from other nonprofit ventures.
Familiarize with innovative toolkits and management models in the social entrepreneurship field.
Understand the map of pressing social issues in Argentina and Latina America.
Discuss and compare different innovation approaches from local social entrepreneurs.
See the citizen sector as a career opportunity.
Method of presentation:
Lectures, case studies, lectures, and questions and answers with expert guests. This course invites students to engage with lectures, guests, and case studies both critically and constructively and provides an opportunity for creative, stimulating, and interesting discussion. In order to take full advantage of the course as well as to contribute your part, you consistently need to do the background readings, actively participate in class, and come to class prepared to engage with the case studies and lectures and follow-up to discussions. Engaging with and completing your assignments on time is also part of this process.
Required work and form of assessment:
Participation and attendance (25%), Student presentations based on assigned readings (25%), Final research paper (50%).
Case study assignments. Respond to a series of questions after required reading to show full text comprehension.
Class attendance and participation. Regular class attendance is considered mandatory, according to the Academic Policy Guidelines. Each student may have no more than one absence in each course for whatever reasons. Your final grade in the course will be reduced by one fraction of a grade (i.e. A becomes A -) after that.
Oral report. In-class oral 10 minute presentations connected to progress on final research paper.
Final Research Paper: during the course students will research an Argentinean Social Entrepreneur and will write a 10-page report that applies the lessons learned and course bibliography, showing that they have critically examined the readings and the themes discussed in the classroom.
content:
Week 1: Class presentation and introduction to the course. Lecture: the evolution of the citizen sector in Argentina and Latin America. Regional perspective on social change.
Week 2: Case Study 1: Abel Albino – Fundacion CONIN – Mendoza, Argentina.
Week 3: Leadership through Change: Social entrepreneurs as leaders in their sectors map of the social entrepreneurs.
Week 4: Case Study 2: Vera Cordeiro – Renascer – Río do Janeiro, Brasil.
Week 5: Lecture on Leading Social Entrepreneurship organization, Ashoka Innovators for the Public, Argentina - Presentation by organization’s Executive Director Guillermina Lazzaro. Fostering and advancing the social entrepreneurship sector in the region.
Week 6: Midterm Research paper presentation.
Week 7: Lecture: Why social entrepreneurship is innovative and effective? Comparison with more traditional nonprofit approaches, the Catholic assistentialist legacy.
Week 8: Case Study 3: Adriana Briozzo – El Abrojo – Montevideo, Uruguay.
Week 9: Lecture and presentation by Argentinean Social Entrepreneurs Fabian Ferraro from EcoClubes and Vicky Shocron from Fundacion Discar.
Week 10: Lecture. Challenges in the social entrepreneurship sector in the new millennium: Funding, public policies, legal frame.
Week 11: Case Study 4: Ximena Abogabir – Casa de Paz – Santiago, Chile.
Week 12: Social Entrepreneurship, social enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility. Career choices and opportunities. Investing in the social sector.
Week 13: Final Class, small presentation of research paper.
Required readings:
Austin, James y otros (2005). Alianzas Sociales en América Latina. Washington, IDB Bookstore. (Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6 & 7)
Austin, James y otros (2006). Gestión efectiva de emprendimientos sociales. Lecciones extraídas de empresas y organizaciones de la sociedad civil en Iberoamérica. IDB, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University, Washington, D.C.
Bornstein, David (2005). Cómo cambiar el mundo. Los emprendedores sociales y el poder de las nuevas ideas. Buenos Aires, Debate. (Chapters 1, 2, 8, 11, 14, 20 & 21)
Paladino Marcelo y otros. (2006). Emprendedores sociales y empresarios responsables. Buenos Aires, Tema Grupo Editorial. (Chapters 1, 5, 6 & 7)
Recommended readings:
Bornstein, David (2005). Cómo cambiar el mundo. Los emprendedores sociales y el poder de las nuevas ideas. Buenos Aires, Debate. (Chapters 5 & 6)
Paladino Marcelo y otros. (2006). Emprendedores sociales y empresarios responsables. Buenos Aires, Tema Grupo Editorial. (Chapters 3 & 4)
José, de Souza Silva (2007). El Emprendimiento Social en el Cambio de Época (paper en Worlds & Knowledges Otherwise)
Santillán, Laura & Woods, Marcela (2005). Iglesia y cuestión social: la intervención de la Iglesia Católica en la construcción de demandas de educación, tierra y vivienda en el Gran Buenos Aires. São Paulo, Revista Antropología Vol.48 no.1.
Other Resources:
Case Studies:
Abel Albino – Fundacion CONIN – Mendoza, Argentina.
Vera Cordeiro – Renascer – Río do Janeiro, Brasil.
Adriana Briozzo – El Abrojo – Montevideo, Uruguay.
Ximena Abogabir – Casa de Paz – Santiago, Chile.
Argentina, as the rest of Latin America, has been bombarded with social problems that have not yet found a durable solution. However, in the past few years, some individuals have been testing a different approach to problem solving. This course introduces students to the perspectives and endeavors of thought leaders and social entrepreneurs who are committed to furthering a social mission and improving society. It reviews some of the basic issues they confront: the choice of for-profit / nonprofit structure, the necessity of earned-income strategies among nonprofits, and the degree to which social entrepreneurs/enterprises can manage the toughest social and environmental issues. It also examines current models that are being modified in scale and replicated throughout the region and worldwide.
At the end of this course students will be able to:
Lectures, case studies, lectures, and questions and answers with expert guests. This course invites students to engage with lectures, guests, and case studies both critically and constructively and provides an opportunity for creative, stimulating, and interesting discussion. In order to take full advantage of the course as well as to contribute your part, you consistently need to do the background readings, actively participate in class, and come to class prepared to engage with the case studies and lectures and follow-up to discussions. Engaging with and completing your assignments on time is also part of this process.
Participation and attendance (25%), Student presentations based on assigned readings (25%), Final research paper (50%).
Week 1: Class presentation and introduction to the course. Lecture: the evolution of the citizen sector in Argentina and Latin America. Regional perspective on social change.
Week 2: Case Study 1: Abel Albino – Fundacion CONIN – Mendoza, Argentina.
Week 3: Leadership through Change: Social entrepreneurs as leaders in their sectors map of the social entrepreneurs.
Week 4: Case Study 2: Vera Cordeiro – Renascer – Río do Janeiro, Brasil.
Week 5: Lecture on Leading Social Entrepreneurship organization, Ashoka Innovators for the Public, Argentina - Presentation by organization’s Executive Director Guillermina Lazzaro. Fostering and advancing the social entrepreneurship sector in the region.
Week 6: Midterm Research paper presentation.
Week 7: Lecture: Why social entrepreneurship is innovative and effective? Comparison with more traditional nonprofit approaches, the Catholic assistentialist legacy.
Week 8: Case Study 3: Adriana Briozzo – El Abrojo – Montevideo, Uruguay.
Week 9: Lecture and presentation by Argentinean Social Entrepreneurs Fabian Ferraro from EcoClubes and Vicky Shocron from Fundacion Discar.
Week 10: Lecture. Challenges in the social entrepreneurship sector in the new millennium: Funding, public policies, legal frame.
Week 11: Case Study 4: Ximena Abogabir – Casa de Paz – Santiago, Chile.
Week 12: Social Entrepreneurship, social enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility. Career choices and opportunities. Investing in the social sector.
Week 13: Final Class, small presentation of research paper.
Austin, James y otros (2005). Alianzas Sociales en América Latina. Washington, IDB Bookstore. (Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6 & 7)
Austin, James y otros (2006). Gestión efectiva de emprendimientos sociales. Lecciones extraídas de empresas y organizaciones de la sociedad civil en Iberoamérica. IDB, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University, Washington, D.C.
Bornstein, David (2005). Cómo cambiar el mundo. Los emprendedores sociales y el poder de las nuevas ideas. Buenos Aires, Debate. (Chapters 1, 2, 8, 11, 14, 20 & 21)
Paladino Marcelo y otros. (2006). Emprendedores sociales y empresarios responsables. Buenos Aires, Tema Grupo Editorial. (Chapters 1, 5, 6 & 7)
Bornstein, David (2005). Cómo cambiar el mundo. Los emprendedores sociales y el poder de las nuevas ideas. Buenos Aires, Debate. (Chapters 5 & 6)
Paladino Marcelo y otros. (2006). Emprendedores sociales y empresarios responsables. Buenos Aires, Tema Grupo Editorial. (Chapters 3 & 4)
José, de Souza Silva (2007). El Emprendimiento Social en el Cambio de Época (paper en Worlds & Knowledges Otherwise)
Santillán, Laura & Woods, Marcela (2005). Iglesia y cuestión social: la intervención de la Iglesia Católica en la construcción de demandas de educación, tierra y vivienda en el Gran Buenos Aires. São Paulo, Revista Antropología Vol.48 no.1.
Case Studies:
Abel Albino – Fundacion CONIN – Mendoza, Argentina.
Vera Cordeiro – Renascer – Río do Janeiro, Brasil.
Adriana Briozzo – El Abrojo – Montevideo, Uruguay.
Ximena Abogabir – Casa de Paz – Santiago, Chile.
Guest profiles:
Guillermina Lazzaro (Ashoka Argentina).
Fabian Ferraro (EcoClubes).
Vicky Shocron (Fundación Discar).