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Center for Social lnnovation

Convening change agents to accelerate the speed, scale and effectiveness of social innovation

Center for Social lnnovation

Convening change agents to accelerate the speed, scale and effectiveness of social innovation

Social innovation creates novel solutions for the benefit of global society by addressing social and environmental needs more efficiently and effectively than current policies and businesses do. The Center for Social Innovation develops and shares cutting-edge research and pedagogical content that help leaders in business, government, and civil society navigate the challenges of initiating and implementing positive social change. This research also informs our programs focused on doing social impact right, leading innovative financing projects in this space, and more.

Want to innovate for people and planet? You need to rethink the value chain

by Sophie Bacq, Ruth V. Aguilera, I by IMD

How the impact economy is delivering change with purpose

by Vanina Farber, Patrick Reichert, and Shih-Han Huang, I by IMD

Think local, act local

by Sophie Bacq, G. T. Lumpkin, I by IMD

The value of social entrepreneurship

Sophie Bacq, Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at IMD, explains why social enterprises are an important tool for social change.

Video

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Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice

Female entrepreneurs’ thirst for knowledge and the dark side of customer learning actions

By Matthew R. Marvel, Marcus T. Wolfe, Emily Neubert, Donald F. Kuratko and Sophie Bacq

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy

Navigating crisis through digitalisation and its impact on firm formality: The case of microenterprises in India

By Muhammad Shehryar Shahid, Esther Salvi and Mehak Sajjad

Journal of Management

The lean impact start-up framework: Fueling innovation for positive societal change

By Sophie Bacq and Stephanie Wang

Alumni Stories

Switching on smart cities

Abdulrahman Ibrahim (EMBA 2021) shares how his EMBA journey inspired him to embark on a smart-city project, all while maintaining his values and commitment to have a positive social impact.

News Stories

New report mapping the Humanitarian Impact Finance (HIP) landscape highlights optimal approaches to funding ongoing relief efforts in fragile areas

New research introduces an innovative approach to addressing the growing humanitarian crises worldwide.

News Stories

Sophie Bacq speaks at the 20th Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference - IMD Business School

‘Social entrepreneurship is at a point of convergence’

The 20th Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference celebrated the growing maturity and legitimacy of social entrepreneurship and highlighted opportunities to amplify its impact through collaborative work across disciplines and sectors.

Case Study

Rede Mulher Empreendedora: Navigating mission integrity and financial sustainability

The case focuses on Rede Mulher Empreendedora (RME), Brazil’s largest support platform for female entrepreneurship, and its founder, Ana Fontes. Founded in 2010, RME had grown into a significant network by 2023, impacting the livelihoods of over 1…

By Vanina Farber, María Helena Jaén, Jose Mello, Lilian de Miranda, Patricia Araripe, Peter Munk Laursen and Rabia Chishti

Case Study

Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma (B)

Picking up where Case A ends, Case B reveals that Grupo Inca decided to innovate internally and develop a new fabric from the rare black alpaca fiber. After nearly three years of effort, the Inoue brothers’ dream of creating a luxury collection fr…

By Vanina Farber, Carolina Duran Silva, Baris Silahcioglu, Hugo ten Zijthoff and Shih-Han Huang

Case Study

Not so black and white: Grupo Inca’s black alpaca dilemma (A)

Grupo Inca, a conglomerate that owned Peru’s leading textile business with a long history of working with alpaca fleece, was at a crossroads regarding the conservation and commercialization of black alpaca fiber. Historically, black alpacas were a…

By Vanina Farber, Carolina Duran Silva, Baris Silahcioglu, Hugo ten Zijthoff and Shih-Han Huang

Research & insights

Our research addresses the challenges of initiating and implementing social innovation and social entrepreneurship.

Social Entrepreneurship

Our research on Social Entrepreneurship expands understanding on building social ventures and social impact strategies and advancing meaningful and positive societal change.

Programs

Through our Driving Innovative Finance for Humanitarian Impact program we help build organizational capability to lead innovative finance initiatives in the humanitarian and development space.

About

Our team are at the forefront of research and thought leadership in social innovation and social entrepreneurship.