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  • Social Change's Age of Enlightenment

    October 17, 2012 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    We’re getting smarter about the way we’re addressing social problems. Patterns in the most effective solutions are emerging, such as making evidence-based decisions, accepting that humans act irrationally, and bringing people back together to build comprehensive solutions.

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  • The ‘Avon Ladies' of Africa

    October 10, 2012 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Uganda

    A successful program in Uganda trains village women to sell medicines, fortified foods and other important goods using the Avon model, aiming to create a self-sustaining system for delivering essential health products.

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  • There IS a Bicycle Economy, Two Cities Find

    October 02, 2012 |

    TreeHugger |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    Conventional merchants are afraid to lose parking spaces to bike parking or bike lanes. New York and Portland are finding cyclists increase local economies, and spend more money too.

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  • The Promise of Social Impact Bonds

    June 20, 2012 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United Kingdom

    When a government needs to invest in an expensive capital project — a new sewer system, bridge or highway — it issues bonds. The hot new idea in social programs – finance prevention programs to cut recidivism, reduce homelessness or keep kids in school by selling bonds, to be paid only if the program is a success.

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  • The Multiplier Effect: Driving Haiti's recovery by spending aid dollars locally

    May 11, 2012 |

    Public Radio International (PRI) |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Haiti

    Building Markets, an NGO, has connected Haitian businesses with foreign NGOs who can funnel humanitarian aid through the local suppliers and manufacturers in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of 2010. Typically, the majority of contracts are granted to international contractors which are easier for foreign NGOs to vet but when contracts are granted to local vendors, the "multiplier effect" allows more money to flow through the local economy and employ Haitians. A directory built by Building Markets allows foreign investors to easily find trustworthy local businesses.

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  • Shopping for a Better World

    May 09, 2012 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    The philanthropic practice of buy-one-give-one can be ineffective if communities are given ill-fitting donations or if the donations supplant local markets. The company Warby Parker ensures lasting change by financing the means of local production of a pair of glasses for every pair bought.

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  • Can Coffee Kick-Start an Economy?

    April 06, 2012 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: Uganda, Kasese, Western Region

    African coffee growers sell their raw beans cheaply to traders, earning very little for their work. The creator of Good African Coffee in Uganda was able to sell the first African roasted coffee internationally by selling consumers the story of the coffee.

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  • From Young Adult Book Fans to Wizards of Change

    March 21, 2012 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

    Global social and economic problems are difficult to change. However, fan-activism fuels the interests of fans of popular young adult fiction. Books such as Harry Potter and the Hunger Games have inspired activist groups that raise awareness of global hunger, reading, and relief supplies to impoverished nations, among others. Being a fan has served as a bridge to become politically active and solve the world’s problems.

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  • Helping Where Help Is Wanted

    January 10, 2012 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    Vacant positions exist in many employment sectors, including in education and in hospitals. ReServe is a program that joins retired professionals to part-time paid positions in non-profits to perform duties. A controversy has emerged that suggests these positions should be paid at a professional-rate salary.

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  • Outsourcing Is Not (Always) Evil

    December 08, 2011 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    The United States can outsource certain kinds of "microwork," such as accurately digitizing large swaths of information, to developing countries without taking jobs from Americans ― if it’s done carefully, and ethically, as some organizations are working to do. As the author Robert Wright has argued, we no longer live in a zero-sum world, where one person’s, or one country’s gain, must be another’s loss.

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