I’ve always found the global development system frustrating. It was the 1980’s when it first got my attention, with suffering and extreme poverty dominating my daily news feed. The Ethiopian famine in 1985 was the turning point, forcing me to seriously question why a sector awash with money and resources could have so little visible impact (and … Continue reading One last throw of the dice.
Tag: books
Life in full circle
In both my books – The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator from 2013 and Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation published this March – I make no secret of my early struggles to find meaning and purpose. Back home in Jersey, for a period approaching a decade from my mid-teens, I went through the motions doing what most people … Continue reading Life in full circle
Revealing inside stories of social innovation
It all started as a casual conversation about a new book idea over coffee last March. Despite being self-published with no marketing budget, my first book, “The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator“, had gone down particularly well and I had been encouraged by how well it had been received, particularly in academia. It turns out there aren’t many … Continue reading Revealing inside stories of social innovation
Want a holistic view of the world of social innovation? Try these four books.
We’re seeing a steady stream of great books hitting the shelves at the moment, each focusing on a different aspect of the technology/social innovation debate. While some offer hardcore theory and research, others offer softer inspiration and advice. One day we’ll have a book which captures and weaves together all four – that would be the ideal … Continue reading Want a holistic view of the world of social innovation? Try these four books.
In global development, is the pen mightier than the sword?
I’m reading two books in parallel right now – Ben Ramalingam‘s ‘Aid on the Edge of Chaos‘ and Kentaro Toyama‘s ‘Geek Heresy‘. With both books I’m finding myself regularly pausing for a nod of approval or a wry smile. Both books are spot on in their identification of the issues – Ben in global development … Continue reading In global development, is the pen mightier than the sword?
Publishing and the art of iteration
Eighteen months ago, “The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator” hit the shelves. The product of a combination of donations, crowdfunding, ten inspiring innovators, an editor with too much time on his hands, and an engaged publisher, the book was always something of an experiment. Tales of people innovating ‘outside the system’ – people with little … Continue reading Publishing and the art of iteration
Scaling the charts
Great to see “The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator” hitting the top spot in Amazon‘s best selling ‘Development Studies’ books chart (24th February 2014).
Social innovation: Celebrating the unpolished
“I finished my first book seventy-six years ago. I offered it to every publisher on the English-speaking earth I had ever heard of. Their refusals were unanimous, and it did not get into print until, fifty years later, publishers would publish anything that had my name on it” George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950) Late … Continue reading Social innovation: Celebrating the unpolished
Thinking the future with shift 2020
I’m excited to announce my contribution to a new book project – shift 2020: How Technology Will Impact Our Future. It’s a self-published book curated by Rudy De Waele which includes foresights on how technology will impact our future from some of the world’s leading experts. The idea of shift 2020 is based on Mobile Trends 2020, another collaborative project Rudy launched … Continue reading Thinking the future with shift 2020
Reluctant innovators are go!
It’s been a busy few months as our new book – “The Rise of the Reluctant Innovator” – has been taking shape. We’ve been finalising chapter contributions, working on the introduction, sorting out cover and chapter designs, doing last minute copy-editing, building a new website, keeping Kickstarter supporters up-to-date, and pulling in book endorsements. We … Continue reading Reluctant innovators are go!
Anthropologists in a Global Village
Social anthropology was a discipline I was fortunate to stumble into when I headed to university way back in 1996. My main motive for going was to read Development Studies, but at Sussex you couldn’t study it as a single subject. Choices for a second ranged from English Literature to Spanish to Geography. I rather … Continue reading Anthropologists in a Global Village
A History of the World in 101 Objects?
“A History of the World in 100 Objects” is a fascinating book. A joint project of the British Museum and BBC Radio 4, it uses objects of ancient art, industry and technology as an introduction to key events in human history. It was never going to be easy narrowing the field down to a mere hundred, but given … Continue reading A History of the World in 101 Objects?
Rethink. Reboot. Rework.
This is the book I’ve been waiting for for years. And it’s been a revelation in the few days I’ve had it. Broken down into largely single page ‘chapters’ – making it an incredibly easy read – it debunks many of the myths of running a business, of entrepreneurship, of innovation. What’s more, it’s written … Continue reading Rethink. Reboot. Rework.