• Media Article

IBM turns to artificial intelligence to solve poverty, hunger, and illiteracy

  • Source : Philanthropy New York
  • 1 June 2017
IBM launched "Science for Social Good," a program partnering its researchers with postdoctoral academic fellows and nonprofits. The initiative aims to tackle global societal issues like poverty, hunger, and illiteracy by leveraging data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Through 12 planned projects for 2017, aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, IBM seeks to drive significant positive change in areas such as improving food distribution in crises and assisting illiterate adults. The program emphasizes the role of advanced technology in solving complex social problems.
  • Academic / Journal Article

Old and New Forms of Giving: Understanding Corporate Philanthropy in India

  • Source : Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations
  • 1 April 2017
This article analyzes the evolving landscape of corporate philanthropy in India, demonstrating how ancient giving traditions (including Hindu, Mughal, and Gandhian philosophies) blend with modern corporate social responsibility (CSR) mandates, such as the 2% profits requirement under the 2013 Companies Act. Godfrey, Branigan, and Khan trace both historical continuity and contemporary adaptations, offering profound insights into culturally specific approaches and emerging critiques within Indian corporate giving.
  • Academic / Journal Article

Governance and Accountability in Philanthropic Organizations

  • Source : Springer
  • 1 March 2017
This article investigates the governance structures and accountability mechanisms prevalent within philanthropic organizations. It delves into the challenges faced by these entities in maintaining transparency and ensuring operational effectiveness. The authors propose various solutions aimed at enhancing these aspects, contributing to a broader understanding of best practices in philanthropic governance. The discussion covers critical issues such as board oversight, financial stewardship, ethical considerations, and compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks, offering insights for improving the integrity and impact of philanthropic endeavors.
  • Blog

When data science meets social sciences

  • Source : LSE Blogs
  • 1 March 2017
This blog post from LSE examines the benefits and necessary reflections when data science intersects with social sciences. It notes the immense opportunities offered by increased data accessibility and computational tools for social research. However, it emphasizes the critical need for careful reflection on the contextualization of digital data, acknowledging that all data is social and reflects purposeful human agency. The article advocates for maintaining rigor in social inquiry by understanding data origins and avoiding the fallacy of assumed objectivity.
  • Video

Philanthropy: Friend or Foe of Social Justice

  • Source : WINGS
  • 1 February 2017
A panel featuring Laura Garcia (Semillas), Kumi Naidoo (African Civil Society Initiatives), and Ananth Padmanabhan (Azim Premji Initiatives) tackles the role of philanthropy in social justice. They debate whether philanthropic models empower communities or entrench systems of power. The discussion stresses the importance of decolonization, local leadership, and accountability in philanthropic endeavors to genuinely support social justice movements and community empowerment.
  • Case Study

Social return on investment: Accounting for value in the context of implementing Health 2020 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmen

  • Source : World Health Organization
  • 1 February 2017
This discussion paper from the World Health Organization examines Social Return on Investment (SROI) as a concept for accounting for social value in evaluating investments. It highlights SROI’s ability to go beyond traditional economic tools by considering value for multiple stakeholders across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The paper finds SROI coherent with the Health 2020 policy framework and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, concluding that it offers a valuable opportunity to evaluate cross-sectoral investments promoting health and development.
  • Academic / Journal Article

Participatory science and innovation for improved sanitation and hygiene

  • Source : BMC Public Health
  • 1 February 2017
This article discusses the role of participatory science and innovation in improving sanitation and hygiene practices. It highlights approaches that involve local communities in the design and implementation of solutions, ensuring they are culturally appropriate and sustainable. The paper emphasizes how collaborative efforts, leveraging local knowledge and scientific expertise, can lead to more effective and long-lasting improvements in public health outcomes related to WASH initiatives.
  • Academic / Journal Article

Mapping poverty using mobile phone and satellite data

  • Source : The Royal Society Publishing
  • 1 February 2017
This article presents a novel approach to mapping poverty by leveraging mobile phone and satellite data. By analyzing call patterns, network usage, and satellite imagery, researchers can infer socioeconomic indicators and identify poverty hotspots with greater accuracy and at finer spatial scales than traditional methods. This innovative technique offers a cost-effective and timely way to monitor and address poverty, providing valuable insights for development programs and humanitarian efforts.
  • Book

New Philanthropy and Social Justice: Debating the Conceptual and Policy Discourse

  • Source : Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research
  • 1 January 1970
This article critically examines the intersection of new philanthropic approaches with social justice objectives. It investigates whether contemporary philanthropic practices genuinely promote equity or inadvertently reinforce existing power structures and inequalities. The authors analyze conceptual and policy discourses surrounding "new philanthropy," questioning its claims to transform society. It explores the motivations behind these approaches and their actual impact on addressing root causes of social injustice, providing a critical perspective on the potential and pitfalls of modern philanthropy in achieving equitable outcomes.
  • Book

A Strategic Approach to Climate Philanthropy

  • Source : Springer
  • 1 January 1970
This chapter details how a group of prominent climate funders adopted a more focused and strategic approach to grantmaking from the 1990s onward, adapting to a shifting political context. While upholding liberal philanthropic principles, this new method integrated collaborative, proactive, outcome-oriented, and evaluation-driven grantmaking with a pro-business, market-centered, and bottom-up understanding of social change. By the mid-2000s, these elements formed the basis of a new international climate philanthropy, leading to increased foundation involvement and the creation of entities like ClimateWorks Foundation, bolstered by reports such as "Design to Win" (2007).
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