School of Policy, Planning, and Development
University of Southern California
PPD 478: Social Innovations
Professor: Veronica Flores
Office Hours: Thursdays, 4 – 6, by appointment only
Yet while the federal government invests $7 billion in research and development for the private sector, there is no similar effort to support non-profit innovation… We'll invest in ideas that work; leverage private sector dollars to encourage innovation; and expand successful programs to scale.
–then Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign
Course Description
This course introduces students to the strategies and processes of social innovation and social change. Students will gain knowledge of strategies of change that include the innovative activities of social and political entrepreneurs, activists, organizations, and social movements. Students will examine several individuals and groups who have catalyzed important positive social change through different organizational platforms –in the market, in government, within the nonprofit sector, and increasingly in the space between these three sectors. Throughout the course students will examine social innovation through case studies, best practice analyses, and relevant readings.
The course is organized into three parts. The first section provides an overview of social innovation by introducing students to current innovations within the social sector. The second section emphasizes a strategic perspective on social change and innovation. This framework draws upon market-based mechanisms to leverage scarce resources in the pursuit of social value. The third section examines larger dynamics of social innovation. For instance, students will study the scaling up high-impact innovations –e.g., the spread of successful innovations into new geographic locations and new business models.
Required Materials:
Books
Crutchfield, Leslie and Heather McLeod Grant. 2008. Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits. Jossey-Bass.
Gladwell, Malcolm. 2000. The Tipping Point. Little Brown: Boston.
Goldsmith, Stephen. 2010. The Power of Social Innovation: How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite Community Networks for Good. Jossey-Bass.
Laura Michelini, 2012, Social Innovation and New Business Models: Creating Shared Value in Low-Income Markets, Springer.
Carlo Petrini, Terra Madre: Forging a New Global Network of Sustainable Food Communities, Chelsea Green.
· Other readings are pdfs on Blackboard
Grading Breakdown
Participation 10%
Reflection Papers (2) 25%
Presentation 15%
Midterm 25%
Final Exam 25%
Minimum / Maximum / Grade930 / 1000 / A
900 / 929 / A-
875 / 899 / B+
830 / 874 / B
800 / 829 / B-
775 / 799 / C+
730 / 774 / C
700 / 729 / C-
650 / 699 / D
0 / 649 / F
Course Format
The course meets once per week. Attendance and participation are mandatory. I take attendance. Students who miss class will have their participation grade reduced. The classes are intended to be interactive so that students and instructor can learn from each other. Students will spend a fair amount of time in smaller groups in which they not only talk and think together, but also solve and create together.
Participation
Each student, working in a group, will be responsible for contributing 1 case for the semester –and these will become formal course readings. You should keep in mind that you must be prepared to discuss each of these assigned cases during class as part of a group exercise. Cases are considered relevant if they represent a particular type of innovation approach in real life cases (either individuals, organizations or governments). In addition to providing the cases, students will develop the group discussion questions.
Exams
The midterm will be a take-home paper based on the group discussions. The questions will be posted on Blackboard 1 week before midterms, and they will cover all the material discussed in the weekly group exercise. You will be required to answer 4 essay questions. Exams may not exceed 6 pages, 1.5-spaced (12-point font). No single response/answer should exceed two pages.
For the final exam, you are required to submit your answers to a take-home examination. The questions will be posted on Blackboard on the last day of class, and they will cover all of the material from the course. You will be required to answer 4 essay questions. Exams may not exceed 6 pages, 1.5-spaced (12-point font). No single response/answer should exceed two pages.
Reflection Papers
Students are required to write 2 reflection papers on the book readings. Each reflection paper is due before class on Thursday. Reflection papers should be 3 pages long, commenting on the book readings as well as incorporate the in-class discussion on the topic. The point is to have you think about some of the readings, give your opinions and assessments and consider class input. To clarify, these reflection papers are not supposed to be summaries of the readings, and they are not case analyses either.
You have the choice on how to divide up the 2 papers, but at least one reflection paper must be completed before the midterm.
Presentation:
Students are required to identify a social problem in Los Angeles that could benefit from innovative activity. Once a social problem has been identified, groups develop a plan to solve or mitigate the problem with an innovation approach. Students can work in groups of 4 and they are expected to give a 20-minute presentation on their proposal. This will include developing personal mission statements.
Statement on Academic Integrity:
Students should maintain strict adherence to standards of academic integrity, as described in SCampus (www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS). In particular, the University recommends strict sanctions for plagiarism defined below:
Statement on Disabilities:
The university will provide reasonable accommodation of academically qualified students with disabilities, so those students can participate fully in the university’s educational programs and activities. Although USC is not required by law to change the “fundamental nature of essential curricular components of its programs in order to accommodate the needs of disabled students,” the university will provide reasonable academic accommodation. Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open early 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Course Schedule
Week 1: Introduction: Are You an Innovator?
Social Policy Research Brief. “Social Innovation”: What Is It? Who Does It? Government of Canada Policy Research Initiative.
Gladwell, Malcolm. 2002. “Group Think.” The New Yorker. December 2.
Exercise: Finding your personal purpose.
Case: Innovation for the Real World, Desh Deshpande is bringing the market to MIT’s labs.
Case Discussion Questions:
1) Has Desh Deshpande discovered an important opportunity for social innovation? Why has this opportunity not previously been seen or exploited?
2) What personal assets does he bring to his work in general? What does he bring to this opportunity that others have not?
3) What motivations and purposes seem to guide his actions? What kind of person is he? What values seem to guide his innovative efforts?
Week 2: Innovation Approaches
Clayton M. Christensen, Heiner Baumann, Rudy Ruggles, and Thomas M. Sadtler. Disruptive Innovation for Social Change. Harvard Business Review December 2006.
Presentation: Exponential Organizational Tools such as Incentive Competitions, Machine Learning Data Competitions; On-demand Workforce, Crowd-Funding, Crowd Ideation, Gamification, Open Source Hardware/Software, DIY Communities, Microwork.
Case: TBD by Students
Case Questions: TBD by Students
Week 3: Innovations in the Public, Nonprofit, and the Emerging Fourth Sectors
Erica Swallow, Creating Innovators: Why America's Education System Is Obsolete. Forbes April 2012.
Peter H. Diamandis. Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think by Simon and Schuster (pp 12-25 and pp119-131)
Case: TBD by Students
Case Questions: TBD by Students
Week 4: New Business Models
Laura Michelini, 2012, Social Innovation and New Business Models: Creating Shared Value in Low-Income Markets, Springer.
Case: TBD by Students
Case Questions: TBD by Students
Week 5: The Spread of Innovations
Gladwell, Malcolm. 2000. The Tipping Point. Little Brown: Boston. Pp 3-133; 169-193; 253-261.
Mayer N. Zald. Making Change Why Does the Social Sector Need Social Movements? Stanford Social Innovation Review Summer 2004
Case: TBD by Students
Case Questions: TBD by Students
Week 6: Policy Innovators
Michal Grinstein-Weiss. Diffusion of Policy Innovation: The Case of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) as an Asset-building Policy. Center for Social Development. Working Paper No. 05-08, 2005.
Michele-Lee Moore. Public Sector Policy and Strategies for Facilitating Social Innovation. Centre for International Governance Innovation University of Waterloo.
Case: TBD by Students
Case Questions: TBD by Students
Week 7: Midterm
No class. Students must email their exam Thursday no later than 7:30pm to .
Week 8: Social Entrepreneurs
Auerswald, Philip. 2009. “Creating Social Value” Stanford Social Innovation Review. Spring: 51-55.
Dees, Greg. 2001. “The Meaning of Social Entrepreneurship.” Unpublished Paper.
Pozen, David E. 2008. “We Are All Entrepreneurs Now.” Wake Forest Law Review 43: 283-340.
Case: TBD by Students
Case Questions: TBD by Students
Week 9: Innovation Within Organizations and Firms
Crutchfield, Leslie and Heather McLeod Grant. 2008. Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits. Jossey-Bass.
Student Presentations: Group signs up for this night.
Week 10: Civic Action and Innovation
Goldsmith, Stephen. 2010. The Power of Social Innovation: How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite Community Networks for Good. Jossey-Bass.
Case: TBD by Students –
Case Questions: TBD by Students
Week 11: Student Presentations
(Discussion from previous week)
Student Presentations: Group signs up for this night.
Week 12: Global Impact and Innovation
Carlo Petrini, Terra Madre: Forging a New Global Network of Sustainable Food Communities, Chelsea Green.
Student Presentations: Group signs up for this night.
Week 13: Organizations and Innovation
Meyerson, Debra E. 2004. “Tempered Radicals: How employees push their companies– little by little – to be more socially responsible.” Stanford Social Innovation Review (Fall): 14-23.
Student Presentations: Group signs up for this night.
Week 14: Global Perspectives
Alnoor Ladha and Tim Dixon. Principles For Social Innovation In 2012: Follow Emerging Economies. Co.Exist World Changing Ideas And Innovation. Editor:Morgan Clendaniel.
Empowering people, driving change: Social innovation in the European Union. Bureau of European Policy Advisers. European Commission May 2010 (pp. 31-50).
Case: TBD by Students
Case Questions: TBD by Students
Week 15: Challenges in Social Innovation
Sean P. Evers and Josefa Silva,From Social Entrepreneur to Good Company.
Student Presentations: Group signs up for this night.
Final
Students must email their exam Thursday no later than 9pm to .
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