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Transcript of 1 Social Innovation: What It is and How to Advance It Paul Carttar Price School of Public Policy USC...
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Social Innovation: What It is and How to Advance It
Paul CarttarPrice School of Public Policy
USCDecember 12, 2012
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• Social innovation is powerful and essential force – especially now – that we must exploit.
• There is significant activity now in this space, with many players – including universities – aiming to establish noteworthy roles/positions.
• The challenge of making it work better has many facets/niches, and very little is truly “known” about key workings and questions.
• So, a well-considered, well-executed strategy can still lead to sustainable success.
• I am a practitioner and strategist – not a researcher or scholar – and my input should be viewed accordingly.
Bottom Line
Source:
Gary Larson, “The Far Side”
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• What “social innovation” is Context Definition and dynamics Current state
• What is required to advance it Framework Role of government Case study: the Social Innovation Fund
• Questions and discussion
Agenda
On One Hand….
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The “picture’s pretty bleak”:
There are many people and communities in need
Governments are facing unprecedented fiscal constraints
Community-based organizations are under severe funding pressures
On the Other….
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There is reason for optimism and resolve:
We still have significant resources;
We are resourceful people with a long tradition
of solving our biggest problems
We have many effective solutions already being
deployed in communities
On the Other….
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There is reason for optimism and resolve:
We still have significant resources;
We are resourceful people with a long tradition
of solving our biggest problems
We have many effective solutions already being
deployed in communities
IMPERATIVE: get more impact from the resources we invest in social progress
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The Ultimate Answer
….is INNOVATION.
Not, the typical “go to” approaches:
• Improving “management efficiency” to marginally boost yield, shave costs
• Eliminating “waste, fraud and abuse”
• Cutting budgets and hoping for the best
Utimately, must focus on what we do as much as how we do it.
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Definition of Social Innovation
Social innovation is a dynamic, on-going process in which superior solutions to social problems are developed, validated and grown to displace prior (inferior) solutions and, thereby, establish a more productive status quo.
Where,• Superior solutions can be
Of many types, eg devices, practices, programs processes
Incremental or transformational• More productive means higher impact per
unit of input 9
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Cycle of Social Innovation
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Improve Status Quo
Grow Superior Solutions
Validate Superior Solutions
Develop Alternative Solutions
ImpactPer
Input
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Essence of Social Innovation
Social innovation is not about what’s NEW – it’s about what’s BETTER
Where,
• Better means generating greater impact per unit of input than current solutions, and
• Impact means outcomes that are actually attributable to the action in question, based on evidence
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Social Innovation Drivers
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Optimize Status Quo
Grow Superior Solutions
Validate Superior Solutions
Develop Alternative Solutions
INVENTION
RESOURCES
E V I D E N C E
ImpactPer
Input
• Good news: we launch 30-50K new nonprofits each year in the US
• Bad news: few inventions grow (Bridgespan)- 200,000 nonprofits registered in the US
between 1970 and 2003
- Only 144 (0.07%) grew to be $50 M or larger in annual revenues
- And we don’t know if these were the best
How are we doing?
Why do superior solutions not grow?
Because we lack:
• Evidence of what actually is better
• Resources to support implementation and growth
Funders committed to supporting solutions with evidence of superior impact
Knowledge of how to grow scale and impact
Infrastructure to support growth
Key Barriers to Growth
Robust evidence is the key catalytic agent for social
innovation, serves two critical roles:
Evidence as Catalyst
Improvement
Selection1. Enables funding of better solutions
(what works)- “Better” grow relative to “worse”- Incentives for further innovation
2. Enables on-going improvement and innovation (how and why things work)
Alternatives to Evidence
Who is the “Best that Ever Was?”
What does the evidence say?
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Can evidence retard innovation? Many risks must be managed:
• Flawed studies – lead to wrong conclusions
• Excessive cost – creates disincentive, drains resources from program execution
• Excessive emphasis on rigor – can - Create competitive barriers- Discourage on-going improvement
Evidence Caveats
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• Funders – especially large-scale ones – play uniquely influential role in nonprofit sector Dearth of paying customers/beneficiaries Fragmentation of “social capital market” Lack of clear performance standards, accountability
• Relatively few large-scale funders allocate resources mainly based on evidence of results Foundations: small, short, new and programs Federal government: “tiered evidence” programs State, local governments: Youth Villages debacle Individuals: education and healthcare
Funders
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• What “social innovation” is and why it matters Context Definition and dynamics Current state
• What is required to advance it Framework for action Role of government Case study: the Social Innovation Fund
• Questions and discussion
Agenda
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• Barrier: evidence; evidence-based funders; knowledge of scaling; support infrastructure
• Level of focus:- Direct: aimed at specific organizations or
programs
- Macro: aimed at the broader context in which multiple organizations function (field, ecosystem, “systems change”)
• Life stage: start-up, nascent, promising, proven
Segmentation of Approaches
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Key factors in influencing segment focus, actions
1. What do you care about and what are you hoping to accomplish?- Issue area- Geographical area
2.Who are you and what distinctive capabilities may enable you to drive superior impact?- Service provider- Funder (individual, institutional)- Non-funder intermediary (services, information)- Rule-maker (federal, state, local)- Research institution
Strategic Considerations
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Selected Players by Segment
Robust Evidence
Evid.-BasedFunders
Scaling Knowledge
SupportInfra-str.
Direct • MDRC• Child Trends• U. of Cincinnati• EM Clark Fdn.• NYC Center for Econ. Oppy.
• Bridgespan• Fdn. Stategy Group• EM Clark Fdn.• Gates Fdn.
• Bridgespan• EM Clark Fdn.• Fdn. Strategy Group
• New Profit• REDF• Venture Philan. Partners
Macro • Urban Institute• Coalition for Evid-Based Pol.• Lisbeth Schorr• Mario Morino: Leap of Reason
• Social Impact Exchange• GEO• Center for Eff. Philanthropy
• Bridgespan• Fdn. Strategy Group• GEO• Stanford CSI• Duke CASE
• Social Impact Exchange• European VP Association• Asian VP Network
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• Allure is clear Potential leverage, “bang for the buck” Glamor, excitement, visibility
• But solid grounds for skepticism Abstract, conceptual nature, disconnected to reality Absence of progress measures – potential for
enormous waste
• Implication: be careful, apply strategic discipline Clear intended impact, theory of change Clear budget, action plans, metrics
Caveats re “Systems Change”
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While “just another player,” government is different, due to several factors:
• Scale• Politics• Ability to make rules• Need for transparency• Culture of distrust, fear of scandal
Key Players: Government
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• Most tempting: “regulator-in-chief”- Incentives to set rules- Glamour of policy-making- Short-term results, action bias
• Most powerful, efficient: responsible, mission-seeking “funder-in-chief”- Amount of social spending
- Feds $100’s of billions; Gates US <$1 billion- Share of funds to nonprofits
- Estimate: govt. support to NPO’s 10X total of all institutional funders
Role of Government
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The Big Idea
“The bottom line is clear: solutions to America’s challenges are being developed every day at the grass roots – and government shouldn’t be supplanting those efforts, it should be supporting those efforts.
“Instead of wasting taxpayer money on programs that are obsolete or ineffective, government should be seeking out creative, results-oriented programs … and helping them replicate their efforts across America.”
- President Obama, June 30, 200927
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The Social Innovation Fund is an initiative intended to achieve three policy goals:1. Generate direct impact for people served2. Demonstrate a better approach to federal
government grant-making3. Strengthen the nonprofit sector
It’s function is to leverage a limited federal investment by:• Mobilizing public and private resources to• Find, evaluate and grow promising community
solutions with evidence of compelling results
- in youth development, economic opportunity and health
The Social Innovation Fund
Pathways to Impact
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Improve
lives
of
people
in
need
Grant Program• Selection of grantees/subs • Growth of capacity/impact• Rigorous evaluation
Grow
impact of
innovative
solutions
that work
Widespread Impact Program
• Assist federal agencies• Share knowledge • Support targeted
initiatives
Social Innovation
Fund
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The SIF model has five key features that address all four
major barriers to org. growth, social innovation:
Innovative Model
Evidence
Evid-Based Funders
ScalingKnowledge
SupportInfrastructure
1. Open, competitive, evidence-based grantee selection processes
2. Reliance on experienced grant-making intermediaries
3. Emphasis on rigorous program evaluations
4. Requirement that public money be matched up to 3:1 from private sources
5. Commitment to capture and share knowledge
Evid-BasedFunders
The SIF targets “promising” solutions due to high risks of earlier stages and high funding needs of “proven” stage.
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Launch the innovation
Scale the innovation
SIF Target Area
Start-up Proven
Refine the innovation and demonstrate effectiveness
Pursue limited growth and build org capacity
Nascent
Define the innovation
Promising
“Subgrantee” Stage Focus
Capacity-builders and TA providers
Private philanthropy (matches)
Nonprofits• $100 K +• 3-5 years• 1:1 match
Selected to date:
240/$220M
Social Innovation
Fund(SIF)
Funds granted:
$137M
Intermediaries• $1-10 M grants• 3-5 year plans• 1:1 match
Selected to date:
20/$137M
Grant Program Structure
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SIF Participation by Segment
Robust Evidence
Evid.-BasedFunders
Scaling Knowledge
SupportInfra-str.
Direct • MDRC• Child Trends• U. of Cincinnati• EM Clark Fdn.• NYC Center for Econ. Oppy.• SIF
• Bridgespan• Fdn. Stategy Group• EM Clark Fdn.• Gates Fdn.• SIF
• Bridgespan• EM Clark Fdn.• Fdn. Strategy Group• SIF
• New Profit• REDF• Venture Philan. Partners• SIF
Macro • Urban Institute• Coalition for Evid-Based Pol.• Lisbeth Schorr• Mario Morino• SIF
• Social Impact Exchange• GEO• Center for Eff. Philanthropy• SIF
• Bridgespan• Fdn. Strategy Group• GEO• Stanford CSI• Duke CASE• SIF
• Social Impact Exchange• European VP Association• Asian VP Network• SIF
Reliance on valid evidence is a fundamental tenet of the Social Innovation Fund, which employs evidence in three primary ways:.
Role of Evidence
Proof ofWhat Works
Assessmentof Success
Selectionof the Best
1. To select the best intermediaries and nonprofits– Intermediaries: track records of using evidence to
drive impact; rigorous evaluation plans– Nonprofits: at least “preliminary” evidence of results;
commitment to achieve “moderate” or “strong”
2. To grow the body of evidence about which program models actually work– Rigorous Subgrant Evaluation Plans for each– Strong technical assistance to support improvement
3. To evaluate the success of the Social Innovation Fund itself– Five-year national evaluation study– Conducted by outside contractor
Innovative models will be proving what works• BELL Summer Program (Clark): short-term and long-term
impact on reading and math achievement and grade promotion of 5-week summer program for children in 2nd-5th grades
• iMentor (New Profit): 4-year impact on high-school graduation and college readiness for technology-based 1:1 mentoring program for high-school students
• Latin American Youth Center (VPP): 18-month impact on post-secondary enrollment, job retention and life skills of “promotores” program for disconnected youths ages 14-24
• Reading Partners (Clark): 1-year impact on reading proficiency and academic behavior of in-school, volunteer tutor model for struggling readers in grades K-5
Building the Evidence Base
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SIF Scorecard
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Awarded
Who have committed
And have selected
states and DC
Thus far served
Its first 2-1/2 years, the SIF has
$350M
$137M
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197
175,000
20
in federal funds
strong intermediaries
in matching funds
more people in need
NGO’s with evidence
Operating in
In open competitions to
Who have planned 74 rigorous evaluations, and
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• What “social innovation” is and why it matters Context Definition and dynamics Current state
• What is required to advance it Framework for action Role of government Case study: the Social Innovation Fund
• Questions and discussion
Agenda