Philanthropy and inequality | The future of food

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Insight & Impact

News, ideas, research in social entrepreneurship and philanthropy, from the Marshall Institute

News

Discussions around philanthropy and inequality are highlighted this month. Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation will be speaking on this issue in London on 12 November; Rob Reich, of Stanford University, argues it is time to rethink philanthropic giving; and Melissa Berman, CEO Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, defends the role of foundations. We also feature research aimed at making impact reporting more transparent and meaningful; tips for MBA graduates struggling to follow their passions; and a Social Impact Fellowship in New York next summer. Plus, which is the best country to be a social entrepreneur in 2019?

Our 2019/20 Executive Master's students returned to the LSE this week, as part of their 12 month Social Business and Entrepreneurship MSc programme. They spent a day with Marshall Institute Director, Stephan Chambers, examining the cases for and against social entrepreneurship. Most agreed that while change is desirable, a combination of markets, purpose and principle is essential to mitigate risks.

We are also pleased to welcome two new Practitioners in Residence to the Institute this month. Sonia Medina, Executive Director, Climate Change, at Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and Katherine Lorenz, President at Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation. Practitioners in Residence are vital to our work, bringing practice to bear on the issues we care about and informing the direction of our teaching and research.

Events

6-7 November: European Venture Philanthropy Association's annual conference Investing for Impact. #EVPA19 | The Hague

8-10 November: This is Epic: La Ciudad de las Ideas is described as an 'International Festival of Brilliant Minds'. Over 60 speakers, from scientists to opinion leaders | Puebla, Mexico

11 November: Inventing the food of the future, from insect protein to post-industrial farming, zero carbon to zero hunger. Panel discussion with scientists and innovators | London

12 November: Philanthropy and inequality in the 21st century. Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, will present the British Academy President's Lecture. The event will be filmed. | London

18 November: Impatient Optimists Working to Reduce Inequality. Andrew Mace, of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), on opportunities for UK companies to work with BMGF | London

18-19 November: Fintech World Forum 2019 | London

18-20 November: Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, Impact Summit 2019. This event has been moved from Chile to Buenos Aires

4-5 December: Impact Investing Summit 2019. 25 speakers, 250 delegates. Keynotes include: The Future of Philanthropy and its Role in Impact Investing and Impact Investing is the New Normal | London.

Grants, fellowships, opportunities...

Apply: to attend the 2020 Skoll World Forum, Oxford, March 31 - April 3

Apply: 60 Decibels, an impact measurement company, is hiring researchers

Apply: latest social sector job opportunities in London, Palo Alto, Burundi, Washington.... via the Skoll Community Jobs Board; the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) and also Guardian Social Enterprise jobs board;

Apply: Inspiring Capital's MBA Social Impact Fellowship. Ten-week summer MBA Fellowship, based in New York. Applications close December 15.

We are...

Reading: Most MBA students say 'following their passion' is a key career goal. So why do so few graduates say they are passionate about their work? Jon M. Jachimowicz offers a strategy | Harvard Business Review

- Which is the best country in the world to be a social entrepreneur? (and which is the worst?). New survey | Thomson Reuters Foundation

- 14 Social Entrepreneurs share their ideas on how to recover from failure | cause.artist

- The world's top economists just made the case for why we need English graduates. In the US, English majors are down 25.5% since 2008, just as economists say we need more storytellers | Washington Post

- Think Different. Apple recently became the first publicly traded American company to be valued at $1 trillion. It is also the world’s single greatest direct cause of inequality, argues Robert Homan | Boston Review

- Charting the Path to Standards for Nonfinancial Information: White Paper by Richard Barker and Bob Eccles | Said Business School

- Is Philanthropy Undemocratic? Yes, argues Rob Reich | Worth

- As Distrust in Big Philanthropy Grows Here's How Leading Foundations are Demonstrating their Value. Melissa Berman, CEO Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors | The Chronicle of Philanthropy

- Philanthropy for the Women's Movement, Not Just 'Empowerment'. Philanthropists say they want gender equality, yet many foundations have decreased their support for women’s rights organisations | Stanford Social Innovation Review

Watching: Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to our Biggest Problems. Professor Esther Duflo, 2019 joint winner of the Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences, presented the LSE's Stamp Lecture on Nov 5 | LSE events

- Leading with influence: Are you a dominator, manipulator, persuader or influencer? | 50Thinkers

Listening to: Professor Branko Milanovic on Capitalism, Alone: the future of the system that rules the world; Dr Zanna Clay, Dr Simone Schnall, Professor Philip Pettit on The Ethical Human + more | LSE Public Events

- How to Save the Planet. Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals | How to Academy.

Impact

Highlighting the work of Marshall Institute alumna:

Kelly Glaser Scott, now Private Sector Development Advisor at the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), co-authored Investing in a Better World - the largest and most comprehensive study of UK public demand for sustainable investment opportunities. Below: Energise Africa, a project backed by UK investors, featured in the DFID report.

Research

Evaluating impact performance: study examines methods for comparing investment impact results within sectors

... while a new working paper finds that quantifying impact alienates non-profit employees | Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Courses & resources...

5 free United Nations online courses you can take anywhere, anytime

53 Social Entrepreneur Fellowships from around the world

Applications are open for the Marshall Institute's Executive MSc Social Business and Entrepreneurship programme

School for Social Entrepreneurs offers support for social entrepreneurs, including workshops and courses in finding funding, measuring social impact, and making sense of social investment.

About the Marshall Institute

The Marshall Institute works to improve the impact and effectiveness of private action for public benefit through research, teaching and practice.

Learn more about our research | graduate programmes | events

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