Podcasts about how change happens

In this episode of the Just Schools Podcast, Jon Eckert interviews James Blomfield from the International Forums of Inclusion Practitioners (IFIP). They discuss his work in inclusive education, the importance of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and the global challenges and opportunities in creating truly inclusive schools. Blomfield shares insights from his visits to Texas schools, highlighting student engagement in career and technical education programs. The conversation also explores the role of artificial intelligence in education, the shift from inclusion to belonging, and the power of networks like IFIP in connecting educators worldwide. The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Be encouraged. Mentioned: The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to Coherence by Mary Myatt How Change Happens by Duncan Green The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco Connect with us: Baylor MA in School Leadership EdD in K-12 Educational Leadership Jon Eckert LinkedIn X: @eckertjon Center for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcsl   Jon Eckert: All right, so we are blessed to have James in our podcast studio. He flew all the way from the United Kingdom to Waco, Texas, to be on this podcast. So James, tell us a little bit about what you've been doing here in central Texas these last couple of days. James: Yeah, I've been spoiled. I've just had the best cheese and ham roll, ever. I can tell you a lot about Texan food now. And brisket. But the quality of the experiences, the visiting the schools, meeting you at Baylor has been a terrific privilege. I'm very grateful. Yeah, today, this morning, in fact, we visited three schools in Waco Independent School District. We were shown around by the loveliest people, Adam, Caroline, and Christie. I think Adam and Caroline are on from your doctoral program. Jon Eckert: Yes. James: But they're like institutional coaches. I gather. We would call them improvement offices where I come from, but they had such a light touch. They knew everyone. They were so friendly with people, and I gather that they are also about compliance, but with the coaching aspects. So they were great. And the three schools we went to, we were Midway yesterday, which was amazing. And then this morning, Bells Hill Elementary, Cesar Chavez, and then GWAMA, Greater Waco Advanced Manufacturing Academy earlier. And yeah, what impressed me was speaking honestly as an English person, it is shocking to see police in a school. Very quickly, I was unaware of them. But we have our own issues in the UK with knives and all sorts. But the staff were, despite that, throughout just so calm, friendly, loving, and attentive to the students. Asking them, talking to them in front of us. And some wonderful experienced people, trauma informed. There was someone who was training to be a social worker this morning who just came out of her office and gave us a short speech without any preparation, speaking from the heart, talking about what she was doing, how much the children matter. If you've got people like that, then you are going to be doing the right stuff. So yeah, I was impressed. But also from the type of education, obviously Texas is massive. The school footprint, I've never been into such big schools, even the elementary and yesterday with Midway, that was the biggest school I've ever been in. It took us a long time to walk around. And all of the stuff, like this morning at GWAMA, we saw robotics, drones, they have the construction academy, welding, forklift truck driving. Yesterday we saw them building an airplane. When I was doing metalwork at school, it was for like a baked potato holder. They were building an airplane. And I would love that as a student. I would be inspired by that even if I was building a small part of the airplane. Rebuilding tractors yesterday. So that's practical. That's 21st century teaching, but visible, practical, hands-on. Jon Eckert: And then the engagement that you see that's possible there through starting a cafe restaurant through the airplanes. Just to be clear to the audience, the students are not doing this on their own. It's a two-seat airplane that would be like a Cessna, and they have engineers coming in to help build. I still am not going to be the first person that volunteers to fly in that, but it was impressive to see. And I do feel like in central Texas, there are a number of schools doing a lot to try to meet the needs of the community by educating kids in ways that engage them, use the skills that they've been given, help them become more of who they're created to be in a way that benefits the community. And even the principal yesterday, Allison Smith, was sharing about the new factory that's coming in that's got a gigantic footprint, and it's going to be a huge benefit to the tax base. Before they came, they met with the high school to see if there were ways that they could integrate some of the needs they have with what the high school's developing in their students. Because at Midway, about half the students go on to a post-secondary education. And so there have to be opportunities for kids to step into things that allow them to be gainfully employed and meaningfully use the skills that they have. And many of the kids were doing things that I couldn't even fathom doing. And they're just leaning into it and gaining expertise, which is for 16, 17, 18 year olds is truly remarkable. James: Isn't that also a bit like a UDL mindset? If the manufacturer comes in and has that intelligence to ask about what would you need? What would be helpful? And then you're designing the education from the ground up. Jon Eckert: That's it. And I'm glad you brought up Universal Design for Learning, because that's something that we haven't really gotten into. Why you're here and what you do in the United Kingdom, because we actually, Eric Ellison, met you a while ago. But you were the reason why we were at a UNESCO conference in Paris where we got to work with educators from six continents that were all interested in UDL and what it means to educate each kid around the world. And there's 250 million kids that don't have access to a school. And then we're in these amazing schools where the biggest schools you've been in that are offering all these different opportunities. And so we're getting to see it, but what does it really look like from your perspective, from your organization as it relates to UDL? James: Yeah. So interesting, I am a teacher, head teacher, classroom teacher from some 25 years. And for me, it's all about practical teaching and talking to parents, making things work. But at a very practical level. And one thing that drew me to my organization, which is the IFIP, International Forums of Inclusion Practitioners, was that when I met Daniel, who's a fabulous person to work for, it's much more practitioner based. It's all about pedagogies. I felt at home straight away. But also, how do we train teachers? How do we bring them on into inclusive practice? And the IFIP is all about the voice of teachers. Daniel would say inclusionistas, all manner and range of people, teachers, specialists, therapists, but parents as well, who are committed to a more equitable and enriching education. So the majority of what we do is training. We have things like our GITI program, which is a global inclusive teaching initiative. But we do events. And that's something that Daniel, one of his strengths, he speaks all over the world. He's written many books. We were so, so grateful to have the event at UNESCO in Paris. So we were co-hosting. Daniel had been talking about that for two years beforehand. And we didn't believe him. He made it a reality. He dreamt about it, and it happened. And the same more recently in Brazil. We went to the G-20 ministerial meeting. He was talking about that. So he sees things and it falls to me to follow behind him and try and make some of the practicalities work. But yeah, the inclusion piece covers so many flavors. And I think what you mentioned just now, we talk about inclusion. Well, if the 250 million aren't in school, well, that's a level of inclusion that puts lots of other schools into a completely different context. Where does the inclusion start? And even in some of the schools I visited, I've been very lucky to visit schools around the world who would say they're inclusive and they may have a sensory room, or they may have, but they aren't necessarily inclusive. But for me, one of my favorite schools I've visited was in Rome, [foreign language 00:08:28], Our Lady of Good Counsel. It was run by Silesia nuns. And they said in the words of their founder, Don Bosco, "Young people need not only to be loved, but they need to know that they're loved." And it's very reassuring as a practitioner, a teacher, former head teacher, to come here to Texas and you see that. You see that palpably going on. And I feel at home. The elementary school this morning, because I was a primary school teacher, it was just like, I know this. I understand this. I could probably take a lesson. But they had some great ideas. And teachers, I'm a teacher, you love stealing good ideas. Jon Eckert: Well, and I think this is the beautiful thing about the jobs that we get to do. We get to see all the amazing things that are happening in schools. So much of what's in the news and what gets publicized are the things that aren't working. And the tragedy that there are 250 million kids who don't have access to schools, that is tragic. But in schools, there are amazing things happening all over the world. And getting to see them is this encouraging, oh, it gives you hope. And I wish more people could see that. I do think there are challenges though, because when we think about inclusion, we've moved as a country toward inclusive education, the least restrictive environment for students, and bringing students into a place where they can flourish. But we really, as Erik Carter, who runs our Baylor Center for Developmental Disability, you met with him yesterday. He talks about moving from inclusion to belonging. And I think we even need to think about belonging to mattering. So you keep hearing more and more about what does it means to matter and seeing your gifts being used with others. And that's what we saw yesterday. It wasn't individual students. It was teams of students doing this and each member of the team had a different role, whether it was robotics or it was the plane or the cafe. And the educators needed to step in. So the principal was talking about, I need an educator who's willing to step up and do this so that this can happen. And that's the thing that I think people that haven't been in schools for a while don't see what it means to really help kids belong. They have a sense of what inclusion was, maybe when they were in school, where there was a class down the way that was a Sensory room, which is a nice room for just, here's where we're going to put a kid who's out of control that we can't manage in so many places. It's like, no, there's so many schools that are doing so much more than that. So what are some other hopeful things you've seen through IFIP? James: Well, I think, yeah, you see a lot and on social media, and you must have found this, there's so much many aphorisms about inclusion and metaphors about what inclusion is. It's a mosaic. It's a banquet with many tastes. It's symphony orchestra with many sounds. Inclusion is a garden. That's quite a good one actually, the metaphor. And that's something that Sir Ken Robinson from the UK has talked a lot about. And there's lots of analogies with growing and flourishing, which that's a word you've taught me in my visit here. But I do feel sometimes that it is all good to talk about that. I don't disagree. But there's some recently inclusion makes every day feel special. Yeah, it does. Inclusion is the antidote to the division in the world. It is. But will that help the early career teacher struggle with their class? Will that give them the practical steps that they need? So I think all of those things are true, and we must love the students. But I would say that's just comes a standard with being a decent human being. I would expect that from you, from anyone. You treat people with a respect. But for me, I feel more inclined to say, what are the practical professional steps? What's the pedagogy? What are the teaching principles that will help me to, as we were saying yesterday, maybe to hesitate before ask another question in class and listen. And listen. That's inclusion, isn't it? Wait for someone to answer and maybe then not say anything. It's actually stepping back. So for me, I'm very impressed by... I mean, I was brought up on quality first teaching, we would call it in the UK, which is about high quality, inclusive teaching for every child. So you mustn't differentiate in a way that you've got the low table. No one wants to be on the low table. You want to have high challenge on every table. And we used to say, you want your best teacher on the lowest table. It's not like you just put a teaching assistant or some volunteer on the lowest table. It's got to be focus lesson design, involvement, interaction, metacognition. So responsibility for your own teaching, for your own learning. Sorry. And I love the dialogic approach. Someone said yesterday, Socratic circle that I've picked up. But it's like you would encourage a child to talk about what they understand because very quickly then you assess what they actually know. Sometimes you'd be surprised by what they know. But for the same reason, UDL appeals to me, to my sensibility, because it offers very practical steps. And crucially at the design stage, it's not like I'm going to apply this assistive technology to a lesson I created a year ago and will do the best we can, and that child will now be able to do more than they could. But if I design the lesson, and one of our colleagues, Helena Wallberg from Sweden, who was a co-author on the Global Inclusive Teaching Initiative, she talks about lesson design. It's a far sexier way than lesson planning. So teachers are professionals, they're artists. They need to use their profession. Jon Eckert: So when you start thinking about design, I use Paideia seminars because Socratic seminars are great, but Socrates taught one-on-one. We don't usually get the luxury of doing that. So how do you bring in the gifts of each student, not so that you're doing something kind or helpful for that individual, but so that the whole group benefits from the collective wisdom in the classroom? And so the inclusive education is not to benefit one single individual, it's to benefit all of us because of what you draw out. And that's where design, I think, is more helpful than planning. And so when we think about this in this state that we're in right now, we've never been in a better time to educate. We have more tools than we've ever had. We know more about how people learn than we have in the history of the world. James: Yeah. Jon Eckert: And yet sometimes that can make things feel overwhelming. So that beginning teacher that you mentioned. The only thing that beginning teacher knows is no one in the room learns exactly the way she does. That's all you know. And so then how do you use tools... And we've talked a little bit about this artificial intelligence. Amazing tool for adapting reading levels, for adapting basic feedback, for giving an educator a helpful boost on lesson design because it can synthesize from large language models. It can do work that would've taken us hours in five seconds. But it can't replace the human being. And so how do you see tools like artificial intelligence feeding into UDL so that it becomes more human, not less? James: So where I am, there's a shortage of specialist teachers, for example, and therapists. And Daniel's been doing a lot of work in India and parts of Asia where there isn't the expertise. So I think maybe AI can help in those places. But even he would say that will not replace a specialist. You can never replace a specialist who has the intuitive and curiosity to see what an AI system can't. But it may empower parents who have no kind of training as a teacher might have for neurodiverse situations of how do I deal with my child when they're like this? And similar for teachers and who are looking for... They've tried everything. What do I try now? So we've been working on one on an AI system that's based on all of the research that Daniel's done. It's not released yet. We've got a working title of 360 Assessment, which doesn't really mean anything, but it was meant to be assessing the whole child. And he's, through his work in many schools over many years, many thousands of hours, he's put all of this stuff into the data for the AI system coupled with his books. So when you ask a question, it will do a quick spin round and come back with some suggestions. And it's quite fun to use, I think, as a tool to empower parents to signpost them. And for teachers, it's a useful tool. I don't think it's the panacea, but I think you have to use these technologies sensibly. But my daughter, who's a nursery nurse, and she tried to break it by saying, oh... We tried it, the computer. My child is two years old, but can't pronounce S. should I be worried? And it came back with the correct answer, said no, there's nothing to worry about. Up to four years old, some children won't be able to pronounce the sound S properly. And then it gave her the advice that she would give, because a manager of a nursery nurse, the advice you'd give to her staff. Now all of her team have just started that. None of them have any experience. So that, I could see, could be useful for training numbers, the ratio of good advice to people. That's the way I see it working in the short term. Jon Eckert: No, and I think that's great because it enhances the human's ability to meet the need of the human right in front of them. Because I will always believe that teaching is one of the most human things that we do. James: It is. Jon Eckert: And so any way that we can enhance that with any tool, whether it's a pencil or an artificial intelligence tool that allows you to give feedback and synthesize things and help with design. I also believe we just need to give credit where credit's due. I don't love it when we don't give credit for tools that we use. So if you're using UDL, they're a great people cast. We're about to have a call with them later today. They do great work. And so the same thing. If you have a digital tool, share that so that we know here's what we did and here's how we can spread that collective expertise to others. And so what role does IFIP play in bringing networks of people together to do that? Because in your convenings, that's one of the main things you do. So can you talk a little bit about that? James: Yeah. Well, in the title if you like, in our forums, one of the things that Daniel is very keen on is sustainable growth. So we want to introduce people to each other. And it's surprising with head teachers and principals who struggle. I've just come back from Brazil from a UNESCO GEM, which is a global education meeting, where the focus was on the quality of the leadership. And we need to give, empower our leaders. They're often working on their own. One of the roles of the IFIP is to join them together. So we're launching in January at the BET Show, which is the biggest technology show in the world, apparently, in London Excel Center, our Global School Principals Forum. So we have a forum for them. We have a forum for specialists, forum for pastoral leads. And we've also got regional forums of South America, North America, Asia, just to try to bring people together. Because when you share the experience, and I've been really grateful this morning for the opportunity to walk through and see some American schools that you share the ideas, you see the similarities. That's the power and that's so important. Jon Eckert: No, and that's been our experience. Whether we're just in the states or internationally, there's so much good work going on. We just need to have ways of connecting human beings who are doing it, so it doesn't feel like it's another thing to do, but it's a better way to do what we're already doing. And so I feel like that's what UDL does. I feel like that's what IFIP is about. And that the most meaningful part of our time in Paris at UNESCO was not in the panels, it was in the conversations that happened over lunch, in the hallways. The panel may have sparked a conversation, but it's hey, what are you doing here? And what are you doing there? And I walked away with multiple connections of people that we'll continue to talk to because, again, there's so much good work going on. Yeah, go ahead. James: My memory of the... Because it was a very stale affair, wasn't it? And the bureaucratic approach, UNESCO, because you feel like you're a United Nations and lots of people talking were sat down for hours and hours, was when you lifted your hand and actually ask a few questions. That's inclusion, isn't it? Eric was saying that people who were leaving the room walked back in to listen because that was interesting and someone was asking them how they feel and bringing it back into reality. That's so important. But I also think inclusion, there is an interesting power dynamic with inclusion. A guy called Michael Young who's a professor of education at UCL, talks about the right for all children and young people to be taught powerful knowledge. What knowledge are we giving them? How are we empowering them? So I think inclusion is all about discovering your power within, if you like. That's so important so that they begin to see. And some of the teachers are saying this morning, kids know what they see, what they've experienced. And if you introduce new ways of dealing with anger or with pain, they don't have to fight. They don't have to resort to what they've necessarily seen. Then give them new strategies. That's empowering those children. Jon Eckert: Well, and Adam and Caroline who were taking you around, they're behavioral interventionists. And they are always busy because there are kids that are struggling with how to manage the feelings that they have. And if they don't have people giving them those strategies, how do they grow? And again, that's very human teaching, and Adam and Caroline are great models of that. James: They were wonderful. So good, and it was the light touch that impressed me. Because I've worked with, as I say, school improvement offices. And the trick is not to push people down. It's to make them think twice about what they've done or how they could ask a question better. And their observations of the displays on the walls and just the language teachers and teaching assistants use has a profound effect. I do believe that inclusion is about the students look at the way their teachers behave. It's nothing to do with this pedagogy or the post. It's about how did they respond to me? How did they respond to the other person in the class? What's important to them? How do they talk? That's the inclusion that you teach. Empowering them to make the similar choices when they're older. Jon Eckert: That's well said. So our lightning round, I usually ask four or five questions that have relatively short answers. So first one, what's the worst advice you've ever received as an educator? James: Oh, as an educator? Worst advice. Jon Eckert: Oh, it could be as a human being if you want. James: Well, when I was young, my dad had many qualities and taught me many good things. But one of the worst things he said to me was, "Don't use your money, use theirs." So he would borrow money. And that got me off to a terrible start in life. And I learned through my own experience that it was better to use... Well, I was always using my own money. Jon Eckert: Yes. Yes, okay. James: But I could use it better. But bless him because he's no longer with us. But that was one piece. Jon Eckert: No, that's a tough start. James: Yeah. Jon Eckert: Thank you for that. What's the best advice you've received? James: The best advice, I think, was to go back to university. Jon Eckert: Okay. James: I dropped out of school to get engaged, because that's what you do when you're 19. And I was going to get married, but it didn't happen. And then I went to do a summer job, which lasted for 10 years. Jon Eckert: That's a long summer. James: But my blessed teacher, Michael Brampton, who gave me a love for painting, history of art, he kept on pestering me go back to university. I went back as a mature student and loved it. I think people should start degrees when they're near in the thirties because you appreciate it so much more. Jon Eckert: Yes. James: So that advice he gave me led to such a change in my life. Jon Eckert: Yes. Well, and then you went on to get a degree in art history, philosophy, then a master's in computer science. So you went all in. James: Yes. And that took me into education. And the time I went in, there weren't many teachers that were doing anything with computers. Jon Eckert: So as you get to see all this around the world, what's the biggest challenge that you see schools facing that you work with? James: I think it's manpower. Jon Eckert: Okay. James: I think there's a real manpower issue and belief that school can make a difference. I think one of the things that we believe in IFIP is that positive change is possible. And sometimes it's shocking going to schools. And if you do make people see that the positive change is possible, it transforms them. So advocacy, shared vision. And one of your colleagues was saying this morning, just changing the mantra can make a profound difference. Jon Eckert: Yeah. So what makes you the most optimistic as you get to see all the schools all around the world? James: Yeah. Well, I've just come back from Stockholm in Sweden, and I was really, really impressed by the school there. It was one of the best schools in Stockholm. It was a school that had in their entrance hall, you'd expect it to be very austere and you don't want to see any bad stuff in your entrance hall. But they had a table tennis table set up and they had a piece of found art or hanging above. And it was the whole sense of the school's about children started there, about young people. But in Sweden, it's all about sustainability. Everyone is expected to clear up after themselves, be mindful of other people, respectful. Even in the hotel where I stayed, I had to sort my rubbish in my room. It's that approach that starts from not just in school, across the board. Jon Eckert: Yeah. James: So that impressed me. Jon Eckert: Yeah, that's a beautiful example. One of my favorite schools outside of Nashville, Tennessee, they don't have custodians that clean up the building. They have 20 minutes at the end of the day where the students do all of the cleaning, including the bathrooms. Which you start to take care of stuff better when you're the one who has to clean it up. And the peer pressure to take care of it shifts a little bit. So it's a great word. All right, one other thing. Oh, best book that you've read last. James: Can I give you two books? Jon Eckert: Absolutely. James: I mean, I've got into fiction in a big way recently. So I use Audible, the app. Jon Eckert: Oh, yes. James: And I've been working through all kinds of classics that I never read properly. Just reread The Hobbit and Tom Sawyer. But I've gone through... The Name of the Rose stuck with me recently. I so enjoyed reading it. And I've just got into Robert Harris. He's written Conclave, which has just come out as a feature film. And a series of books called Imperium about Cicero and Oratory and how the Roman Empire was lost. But they aren't the books. Jon Eckert: I love that. Go ahead. James: But the two books, one is by an English specialist called Mary Myatt. And one of the really practical books that she wrote was The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to coherence. Gallimaufry is a word, I'm not sure if it's Gaelic, but it means a mess. So going from a mess to coherence. And that book is all about how it's important that children struggle. That learning only happens. We try to protect kids all the time that way. No, they should struggle. You imagine if everything's easy. And then she says this, if everything's easy, it's hard to learn. There's nothing to hold onto. There's no scratch marks. You need some of that. So Mary Myatt, that's a brilliant book. The other book is by Duncan Green called How Change Happens. And that's all about this idea of power. And he talks about power within, that's your self-confidence power with when you've got solidarity with people. Power to change things and then power over people. But it strikes me that as he shows in his book, where you've got instances where you've got the 'I Can' campaign in South Asia, all about women who were being violently treated by men, reclaiming their self-worth. It's like invisible power. Where does it come from? The change. You can't see any difference, but inside they've changed dramatically to stand up collectively against something. And that's what we need to do with students. Build that self-power inside. Jon Eckert: Great recommendations. And we talk a lot about struggling well and where that fuel comes from. And so, love that book by Mary Myatt. I'll have to get the spelling of that from you when we get off. My also favorite thing about that is I asked for one book recommendation and I wrote down at least seven. So, well done James. All right, well hey. We really appreciate you coming over. We look forward to potentially doing a convening where we get to bring great people together who want to work on serving each kid well in this way that benefits all of us. So hopefully that will happen sometime in the coming year. But really grateful for your partnership and a chance to go visit schools and have you on the podcast. James: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thank you.  

Are you interested in how strategic marketing can create community change with limited resources? In this episode of The Power Lounge, host Amy Vaughn introduces Erin Maxson from COHatch, a specialist in impact marketing. The episode, titled "Mission-Driven Marketing," explores the use of narrative to engage communities and the effectiveness of cost-efficient marketing campaigns. Erin shares examples from supporting local blood drives to assisting a budding romance novelist with a new website. The discussion will cover the importance of local involvement, the benefits of seeking feedback, and how targeted marketing efforts can influence communities significantly.Listen for a conversation filled with real-world stories and strategies from Erin that demonstrate how impactful change is achievable for everyone..Connect with Erin:Erin MaxsonHead of National Digital and Marketing, COHatchLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmaxson/Episode Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction00:49 - Exploring Purpose-Driven Marketing for Significant Impact09:20 - Personalized Contributions from Smaller Businesses11:00 - Discovering Pressure-Free Community Impact in Phoenix16:19 - COHatch: Enhancing Community with Coworking Spaces and Rentals24:06 - Laurie Champions Passionate Storytelling for Community Engagement27:22 - Effective Storytelling in Impact Marketing on a Budget32:28 - Building Sustained Relationships Through Mission-Driven Marketing37:51 - Leveraging Local Research to Understand Community Needs43:02 - Lynette Utilizes Local Design for Enhanced Community Comfort49:23 - Focusing on Revenue and Organizing Events to Support Star House53:50 - Committing Effectively by Knowing Yourself57:59 - Challenges Encountered While Reading "How Change Happens"01:02:19 - OutroQuote of the Episode:"Being a smaller business or freelancer is tough, but seeing my direct impact on others is deeply rewarding." - Erin Maxson"In impact-driven campaigns,You have to be prepared to watch it fly or fail" - Erin MaxsonSupport the show

Join us for an in-depth exploration of Professor Cass Sunstein's latest work, Campus Free Speech (Harvard University Press, September 2024).  Together, we'll examine the book's intriguing take on free speech in academic spaces and the broader implications for constitutional interpretation. Professor Sunstein also delves into the exercise of administrative power, with timely discussions on COVID-era authority and the Supreme Court's decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Gain unique insights from Sunstein on how the Constitution remains a guiding force for the American public in navigating modern challenges. Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard. He is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the government of Norway, sometimes described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and the humanities. In 2020, the World Health Organization appointed him as Chair of its technical advisory group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and after that, he served on the President's Review Board on Intelligence and Communications Technologies and on the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board. Mr. Sunstein has testified before congressional committees on many subjects, and he has advised officials at the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank, and many nations on issues of law and public policy. He serves as an adviser to the Behavioural Insights Team in the United Kingdom. Professor Sunstein is author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books, including Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler, 2008), Simpler: The Future of Government (2013), The Ethics of Influence (2015), #Republic (2017), Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide (2017), The Cost-Benefit Revolution (2018), On Freedom (2019), Conformity (2019), How Change Happens (2019), and Too Much Information (2020). He is now working on a variety of projects involving the regulatory state, “sludge” (defined to include paperwork and similar burdens), fake news, and freedom of speech. Madison's Notes is the podcast of Princeton University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any speaker does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Join us for an in-depth exploration of Professor Cass Sunstein's latest work, Campus Free Speech (Harvard University Press, September 2024).  Together, we'll examine the book's intriguing take on free speech in academic spaces and the broader implications for constitutional interpretation. Professor Sunstein also delves into the exercise of administrative power, with timely discussions on COVID-era authority and the Supreme Court's decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Gain unique insights from Sunstein on how the Constitution remains a guiding force for the American public in navigating modern challenges. Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard. He is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the government of Norway, sometimes described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and the humanities. In 2020, the World Health Organization appointed him as Chair of its technical advisory group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and after that, he served on the President's Review Board on Intelligence and Communications Technologies and on the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board. Mr. Sunstein has testified before congressional committees on many subjects, and he has advised officials at the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank, and many nations on issues of law and public policy. He serves as an adviser to the Behavioural Insights Team in the United Kingdom. Professor Sunstein is author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books, including Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler, 2008), Simpler: The Future of Government (2013), The Ethics of Influence (2015), #Republic (2017), Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide (2017), The Cost-Benefit Revolution (2018), On Freedom (2019), Conformity (2019), How Change Happens (2019), and Too Much Information (2020). He is now working on a variety of projects involving the regulatory state, “sludge” (defined to include paperwork and similar burdens), fake news, and freedom of speech. Madison's Notes is the podcast of Princeton University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any speaker does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Join us for an in-depth exploration of Professor Cass Sunstein's latest work, Campus Free Speech (Harvard University Press, September 2024).  Together, we'll examine the book's intriguing take on free speech in academic spaces and the broader implications for constitutional interpretation. Professor Sunstein also delves into the exercise of administrative power, with timely discussions on COVID-era authority and the Supreme Court's decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Gain unique insights from Sunstein on how the Constitution remains a guiding force for the American public in navigating modern challenges. Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard. He is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the government of Norway, sometimes described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and the humanities. In 2020, the World Health Organization appointed him as Chair of its technical advisory group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and after that, he served on the President's Review Board on Intelligence and Communications Technologies and on the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board. Mr. Sunstein has testified before congressional committees on many subjects, and he has advised officials at the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank, and many nations on issues of law and public policy. He serves as an adviser to the Behavioural Insights Team in the United Kingdom. Professor Sunstein is author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books, including Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler, 2008), Simpler: The Future of Government (2013), The Ethics of Influence (2015), #Republic (2017), Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide (2017), The Cost-Benefit Revolution (2018), On Freedom (2019), Conformity (2019), How Change Happens (2019), and Too Much Information (2020). He is now working on a variety of projects involving the regulatory state, “sludge” (defined to include paperwork and similar burdens), fake news, and freedom of speech. Madison's Notes is the podcast of Princeton University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any speaker does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Join us for an in-depth exploration of Professor Cass Sunstein's latest work, Campus Free Speech (Harvard University Press, September 2024).  Together, we'll examine the book's intriguing take on free speech in academic spaces and the broader implications for constitutional interpretation. Professor Sunstein also delves into the exercise of administrative power, with timely discussions on COVID-era authority and the Supreme Court's decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Gain unique insights from Sunstein on how the Constitution remains a guiding force for the American public in navigating modern challenges. Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard. He is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the government of Norway, sometimes described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and the humanities. In 2020, the World Health Organization appointed him as Chair of its technical advisory group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and after that, he served on the President's Review Board on Intelligence and Communications Technologies and on the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board. Mr. Sunstein has testified before congressional committees on many subjects, and he has advised officials at the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank, and many nations on issues of law and public policy. He serves as an adviser to the Behavioural Insights Team in the United Kingdom. Professor Sunstein is author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books, including Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler, 2008), Simpler: The Future of Government (2013), The Ethics of Influence (2015), #Republic (2017), Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide (2017), The Cost-Benefit Revolution (2018), On Freedom (2019), Conformity (2019), How Change Happens (2019), and Too Much Information (2020). He is now working on a variety of projects involving the regulatory state, “sludge” (defined to include paperwork and similar burdens), fake news, and freedom of speech. Madison's Notes is the podcast of Princeton University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any speaker does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/education

Join us for an in-depth exploration of Professor Cass Sunstein's latest work, Campus Free Speech (Harvard University Press, September 2024).  Together, we'll examine the book's intriguing take on free speech in academic spaces and the broader implications for constitutional interpretation. Professor Sunstein also delves into the exercise of administrative power, with timely discussions on COVID-era authority and the Supreme Court's decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Gain unique insights from Sunstein on how the Constitution remains a guiding force for the American public in navigating modern challenges. Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard. He is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the government of Norway, sometimes described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and the humanities. In 2020, the World Health Organization appointed him as Chair of its technical advisory group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and after that, he served on the President's Review Board on Intelligence and Communications Technologies and on the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board. Mr. Sunstein has testified before congressional committees on many subjects, and he has advised officials at the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank, and many nations on issues of law and public policy. He serves as an adviser to the Behavioural Insights Team in the United Kingdom. Professor Sunstein is author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books, including Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler, 2008), Simpler: The Future of Government (2013), The Ethics of Influence (2015), #Republic (2017), Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide (2017), The Cost-Benefit Revolution (2018), On Freedom (2019), Conformity (2019), How Change Happens (2019), and Too Much Information (2020). He is now working on a variety of projects involving the regulatory state, “sludge” (defined to include paperwork and similar burdens), fake news, and freedom of speech. Madison's Notes is the podcast of Princeton University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any speaker does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

Join us for an in-depth exploration of Professor Cass Sunstein's latest work, Campus Free Speech (Harvard University Press, September 2024).  Together, we'll examine the book's intriguing take on free speech in academic spaces and the broader implications for constitutional interpretation. Professor Sunstein also delves into the exercise of administrative power, with timely discussions on COVID-era authority and the Supreme Court's decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Gain unique insights from Sunstein on how the Constitution remains a guiding force for the American public in navigating modern challenges. Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard. He is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the government of Norway, sometimes described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and the humanities. In 2020, the World Health Organization appointed him as Chair of its technical advisory group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and after that, he served on the President's Review Board on Intelligence and Communications Technologies and on the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board. Mr. Sunstein has testified before congressional committees on many subjects, and he has advised officials at the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank, and many nations on issues of law and public policy. He serves as an adviser to the Behavioural Insights Team in the United Kingdom. Professor Sunstein is author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books, including Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler, 2008), Simpler: The Future of Government (2013), The Ethics of Influence (2015), #Republic (2017), Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide (2017), The Cost-Benefit Revolution (2018), On Freedom (2019), Conformity (2019), How Change Happens (2019), and Too Much Information (2020). He is now working on a variety of projects involving the regulatory state, “sludge” (defined to include paperwork and similar burdens), fake news, and freedom of speech. Madison's Notes is the podcast of Princeton University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any speaker does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law

Join us for an in-depth exploration of Professor Cass Sunstein's latest work, Campus Free Speech (Harvard University Press, September 2024).  Together, we'll examine the book's intriguing take on free speech in academic spaces and the broader implications for constitutional interpretation. Professor Sunstein also delves into the exercise of administrative power, with timely discussions on COVID-era authority and the Supreme Court's decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Gain unique insights from Sunstein on how the Constitution remains a guiding force for the American public in navigating modern challenges. Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard. He is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the government of Norway, sometimes described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and the humanities. In 2020, the World Health Organization appointed him as Chair of its technical advisory group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and after that, he served on the President's Review Board on Intelligence and Communications Technologies and on the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board. Mr. Sunstein has testified before congressional committees on many subjects, and he has advised officials at the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank, and many nations on issues of law and public policy. He serves as an adviser to the Behavioural Insights Team in the United Kingdom. Professor Sunstein is author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books, including Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler, 2008), Simpler: The Future of Government (2013), The Ethics of Influence (2015), #Republic (2017), Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide (2017), The Cost-Benefit Revolution (2018), On Freedom (2019), Conformity (2019), How Change Happens (2019), and Too Much Information (2020). He is now working on a variety of projects involving the regulatory state, “sludge” (defined to include paperwork and similar burdens), fake news, and freedom of speech. Madison's Notes is the podcast of Princeton University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any speaker does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for an in-depth exploration of Professor Cass Sunstein's latest work, Campus Free Speech (Harvard University Press, September 2024).  Together, we'll examine the book's intriguing take on free speech in academic spaces and the broader implications for constitutional interpretation. Professor Sunstein also delves into the exercise of administrative power, with timely discussions on COVID-era authority and the Supreme Court's decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Gain unique insights from Sunstein on how the Constitution remains a guiding force for the American public in navigating modern challenges. Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard. He is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the government of Norway, sometimes described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and the humanities. In 2020, the World Health Organization appointed him as Chair of its technical advisory group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and after that, he served on the President's Review Board on Intelligence and Communications Technologies and on the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board. Mr. Sunstein has testified before congressional committees on many subjects, and he has advised officials at the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank, and many nations on issues of law and public policy. He serves as an adviser to the Behavioural Insights Team in the United Kingdom. Professor Sunstein is author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books, including Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler, 2008), Simpler: The Future of Government (2013), The Ethics of Influence (2015), #Republic (2017), Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide (2017), The Cost-Benefit Revolution (2018), On Freedom (2019), Conformity (2019), How Change Happens (2019), and Too Much Information (2020). He is now working on a variety of projects involving the regulatory state, “sludge” (defined to include paperwork and similar burdens), fake news, and freedom of speech. Madison's Notes is the podcast of Princeton University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any speaker does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inspired by his recent blog post on From Poverty to Power, Duncan Green reflects on why it's important to learn from failure, and some of his own failure stories. "Think before you jump", and "be a reflectivist as well as an activist" are some of his key pieces of advice to people working in the sector. He's got stories about playing chess from the management bunker, evidence-based humility, and How Change Happens, the second edition paperback and Open Access that's coming out starting from August 16. Want to hear more stories from Duncan and the change makers he works with? Listen to his podcast: GELI Stories podcasts

Reflecting on the persistence and challenge of change as a way of life and a few deep dives into very specific changes with writer, activist and community leader Jen Hatmaker. If you enjoyed listening to my conversation this week with Jen Hatmaker and you haven't already listened to the episode we did together in May of 2021, please check it out - it's been one of the most listened to pods we've ever done and I think you'll really enjoy it. It's Episode #35 of Kelly Corrigan Wonders. You may also enjoy the series we did in 2021 called How Change Happens. It's a special 10 part series l of frank conversations about suffering, compassion, willpower and tough love. (Replay of Ep 78 which originally aired on March 8, 2022) To receive a short set of our weekly takeaways in your inbox, subscribe at www.kellycorrigan.com/takeaways.

Links I LikedFinishing a 2nd Edition of How Change Happens - here are drafts of two new chapters for you to read. 5 Things we Learned from Evaluating the Impact of ResearchHow Local Women Mobilizers Shaped Ukraine's Invasion ResponseNew Version of the free online 'Make Change Happen' course launched this week - check it outDo our LSE Activism Students know it all already? 

Fixing the power imbalances of aid and development: A paradoxIs it right to prioritise fragile states in the climate crisis?Book Review: How to Stand Up to a Dictator, by Maria RessaWhere has the Humanitarian Sector got to on Localization? Great new updateFrom Penury to Prosperity. The Churches at the Epicentre of social-economic TransformationI'm doing a new edition of How Change Happens - any suggestions for what needs to change?Why are LGBTQIA+ people in the Philippines still waiting for an anti-discrimination law?Leadership Tips from Someone Who Knows

Learn on your terms. Get the PDF, infographic, full ad-free audiobook and animated version of this summary and a lot more on the top-rated StoryShots app: https://www.getstoryshots.com ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the StoryShots podcast now to help us grow and create more amazing content for you! What should our next book be? Comment on Spotify/iTunes or vote it up on the StoryShots app. Interested in sponsorship? Contact support@getstoryshots.com StoryShots Book Summary and Review of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein Life gets busy. Has Nudge been on your reading list? Learn the key insights now. We're scratching the surface here. If you don't already have Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein's popular book on economics, psychology, and business, order it here or get the audiobook for free to learn the juicy details. Introduction  Do we make our own choices? Or do external factors influence our decisions at almost every level in life? Nudge explains how human choices result from certain behavioral economic factors. The book explores why people choose the path with the least friction in decision-making. It also details how states and organizations use nudges to influence people's choices. This includes health, wealth, and happiness decisions. In the end, Nudge sheds light on the bias that creeps into the decision-making process. Let Nudge be your guide in understanding how smaller decisions influence your behavior. This book isn't about denying freedom of choice. Rather, it introduces the concept of "libertarian paternalism."  You'll learn about behavioral economics and how to identify, analyze, and control nudges. Discover how the principles in Nudge can improve your life by enhancing your decision-making skills.  About Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein Richard H. Thaler is a behavioral science and economics professor at the University of Chicago. Nudge and Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics are among his bestselling books. He won the Nobel Prize in Economics and is widely praised for his work in behavioral economics. He's also featured in many publications and the blockbuster film, The Big Short. His co-author, Cass R. Sunstein, founded Harvard Law School's Behavioral Economics program. He is also a professor at the University of Chicago and an author of renowned books like How Change Happens. From 2009 to 2012, Sunstein served in the Obama administration. He worked in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs as an administrator. Thaler and Sunstein came up with Nudge at the University of Chicago. The idea was to show how states and organizations use nudges to influence people's lives. They also wanted to prove humans need some form of influence to live their best lives. To this end, here's a summary of ten key insights they discussed in the book: StoryShot #1: Humans Think Using Two Cognitive Systems StoryShot #2: There are Six Key Nudges StoryShot #3: People Make Decisions Based on Options Presented to Them StoryShot #4: Humans Need Nudges to Improve Their Financial Life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of the Governance Podcast, Mark Pennington, the Director at the Study of Governance and Society here at King College London, interviews Professor Cass R. Sunstein. This episode is titled "The Use of Algorithms in Society", and discusses the various ethical and moral dilemmas and implications of increasing AI us in society, and its impact on both social and economic factors.    The Guest Cass R. Sunstein is currently the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard. He is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the government of Norway, sometimes described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and the humanities. In 2020, the World Health Organization appointed him as Chair of its technical advisory group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and after that, he served on the President's Review Board on Intelligence and Communications Technologies and on the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board. Mr. Sunstein has testified before congressional committees on many subjects, and he has advised officials at the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank, and many nations on issues of law and public policy. He serves as an adviser to the Behavioural Insights Team in the United Kingdom. Mr. Sunstein is author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books, including Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler, 2008), Simpler: The Future of Government (2013), The Ethics of Influence (2015), #Republic (2017), Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide (2017), The Cost-Benefit Revolution (2018), On Freedom (2019), Conformity (2019), How Change Happens (2019), and Too Much Information (2020). He is now working on a variety of projects involving the regulatory state, “sludge” (defined to include paperwork and similar burdens), fake news, and freedom of speech.

"Duncan, you define yourself as a white, western 'rapidly ageing male' - that is something I can relate to! You then go on to say that our own perspective is limited to what we experience and who we are. How do we guard against that - and should the two of us, two white, western 'rapidly ageing males' really discuss how change happens and how to change the world?"  In this episode of Chasing Impact, Chris interviews Dr Duncan Green, Senior Strategic Adviser at Oxfam GB, Professor in Practice in International Development at the London School of Economics and author of the book How Change Happens and the daily development blog FP2P.  Among other topics, they discuss: -  how to guard against the arrogance of "inheritance" as white western males - practical information on how to use your platforms to make space for other, more diverse voices - as a leader, creating an organisational culture that rewards and values people taking (well-argued) risks that allow failure because failure can facilitate (accidental) success - "prepared minds" that can deal with randomness and who are able to work with accidents intelligently - the role of money in the incentive system for NGOs, foundations and other organisations - "positive deviance", localisation, alternative funding, domestic resource mobilisation - what makes the ideal "ecosystem gardener"  - and many other topics!  ________Dr Duncan Green is Senior Strategic Adviser at Oxfam GB and Professor in Practice in International Development at the London School of Economics. He is author of How Change Happens (OUP, October 2016) and From Poverty to Power: How Active Citizens and Effective States can Change the World (Oxfam International, 2008, second edition 2012) as well as several books on Latin America. His daily development blog FP2P can be found on https://oxfamapps.org/fp2p/. He can be contacted at d.j.green@lse.ac.uk or on Twitter at @fp2p.How Change Happens (Open Access): https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/a2d96f5a-5189-4cf8-a876-d44eda71545f/618650.pdfFrom Poverty to Power: How Active Citizens and Effective States can Change the World: https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/from-poverty-to-power-how-active-citizens-and-effective-states-can-change-the-w-115393/ _________Intro music: Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/fugu-vibes/spatialLicense code: FFEXMMCJZOEANCT8

Reflecting on the persistence and challenge of change as a way of life and a few deep dives into very specific changes with writer, activist and community leader Jen Hatmaker. If you enjoyed listening to my conversation this week with Jen Hatmaker and you haven't already listened to the episode we did together in May of 2021, please check it out - it's been one of the most listened to pods we've ever done and I think you'll really enjoy it. It's Episode #35 of Kelly Corrigan Wonders. You may also enjoy the series we did in 2021 called How Change Happens. It's a special 10 part series l of frank conversations about suffering, compassion, willpower and tough love.

Lying has been a part of society since the beginning. Over the past decade, however, it has become increasingly clear that damaging lies and falsehoods are amplified as never before through social media platforms that reach billions. Lies have abounded: about COVID-19, about vaccines, about public officials, about products. And unfriendly governments have circulated lies in order to create chaos in other nations. In the face of these problems, renowned legal scholar Cass Sunstein probes the fundamental question of how we can deter lies while also protecting one of our most fundamental freedoms: freedom of speech. Sunstein joined us with a powerful analysis of why lies and falsehoods spreads so rapidly now, with support from his book Liars: Falsehoods and Free Speech in an Age of Deception. He examined why free societies must often allow falsehoods and lies, reasoning that we cannot and should not trust governments to make unbiased judgments about what counts as a lie. However, he argued, governments should have the power to regulate specific kinds of falsehoods. And moreover, he believes that private institutions like Facebook and Twitter, have a responsibility to greater exercise their authority to stop the spread of lies. Navigating a fine balance, Sunstein contended that we can reform our laws and policies regarding speech to alleviate the problem–and still protect the promises contained in the Bill of Rights. Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard University. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the Government of Norway, often described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and humanities. Founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School, he has been involved in law reform activities in nations all over the world. He is the author of many articles and books, including Nudge, How Change Happens, and Too Much Information. Buy the Book: https://www.elliottbaybook.com/book/9780197545119  Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here. 

Development cooperation is being challenged. People question whether development works. There are people in the development community who have a rich experience that provides answers to the critical questions that society raises. But their knowledge is tacit. It is only available to themselves and perhaps a narrow circle of their colleagues. Knowledge must be accessible. It is our responsibility as development practitioners to tell the story of our work. For this episode, we have interviewed: - Duncan Green, who's senior strategic adviser for Oxfam GB, and Professor in Practice in International Development at the London School of Economics. He is author of ‘How Change Happens' and ‘From Poverty to Power'. And most importantly, he is an avid blogger. - Zenebe Uraguchi, who's Program Manager of RECONOMY and a practitioner of knowledge management, learning and communication. He's a development economist, with multi-country experience in Asia, North America, Eastern Europe and Africa. He is the author of a blog on inclusive systems. - Masha Scholl, who's responsible for global communications and regional communications in Eastern Europe at Helvetas. She has been working as a communication coordinator for environmental and development organizations since 2005. We have interesting topics coming up, so stay tuned!

Links I Liked; How can a Book Change the World? The theory of action behind Kate Raworth and the Doughnut Economics Action Lab; Watching the ICC Judgement of LRA commander Dominic Ongwen with Ugandan victims of enforced marriage; When throwing evidence and facts is not enough. How Change Happens in the Humanitarian System 

I wish somebody had told me that, twenty years ago! The post How Change Happens. NOT Negative Emotion! appeared first on Common Thread Church.

Josh Babarinde is the founder and CEO of Cracked It, a social enterprise that repair phones whilst helping to create opportunities for young people to move away from crime and towards employment.I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with Josh, in this episode we cover the challenges faced by today's young people, the lifecycle of a startup, and perhaps most interestingly Josh's bold and brave reaction to the impact felt by Covid this year. Take a listen on your favourite podcast provider, or here on the website.Books/TV Discussed in the show:‘How Change Happens' by Duncan Green‘A Promised Land' by Barack ObamaA Place in the Sun Channel 4Cracked It's Social Media Accounts:Cracked ItTwitterInstagram

In which I am subjected to a gruelling 80m cross-examination on Life, the Universe and Everything (actually ‘How Change Happens') for the entertainment of some Cambridge Accountancy students. Blogged here https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/in-conversation-on-how-change-happens-activism-and-politics/ 

Links I Liked; Voices from the pandemic frontlines: Health worker protests and proposals from 84 countries; 5 Common Mistakes when NGOs start strategizing; Open Access rocks - How Change Happens is four years old this week and OA has made all the difference; Malawi is the only place where democracy has improved under Covid. 80 countries have got worse.

How much information is too much? Do we need to know how many calories are in the giant vat of popcorn that we bought on our way into the movie theater? Do we want to know if we are genetically predisposed to a certain disease? Not necessarily, argues behavioral scientist Cass Sunstein. Drawing from findings shared in his book Too Much Information: Understanding What You Don’t Want to Know, Sunstein joined us via livestream to investigate how information can make us happy or miserable, and why we sometimes avoid it and sometimes seek it out. He posited, that rather than focusing on a “right to know,” our focus should be on human well-being and what information contributes to it. He invites us to consider whether what we need is more information, or more clarity about what that information is achieving. Cass Sunstein is a professor at Harvard Law School, and the author of several books, including The Cost-Benefit Revolution and How Change Happens. In 2020, the World Health Organization appointed him as Chair of its technical advisory group on Behavioral Insights and Sciences for Health. He was the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs during the Obama administration, and the recipient of the 2018 Holberg Prize. Buy the Book: Too Much Information: Understanding What You Don’t Want to Know Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To make a donation online click on the link or text TOWN HALL to 44321. 

How Change Happens | with Rabbi Simon Jacobson | Daily Spiritual Antidote #106 Subscribe

Hello! Welcome to another edition of Inside The Newsroom, as we welcome in Cass Sunstein, a professor at Harvard Law School and one of the foremost behavioural economists to have ever lived. Cass has a new book out in September called Too Much Information, which explores the theory that when information is positive, we eat it up, but when it’s negative we don’t want to even hear it. In the podcast, we dissected his 2008 book Nudge, which still has great influence more than a decade later. Before we do, I wanted to honor the passing of another legend to have walked this planet. Congressman John Lewis passed away over the weekend at the age of 80. John was an absolute icon when it came to civil rights, and carried the torch lit by Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks well into the 21st century. Rest in peace, Congressman. Sharing Is CaringPodcasts are fun. I love doing them. But they take a bloody long time to put together. I estimate a single hour podcast and newsletter takes around 12 hours to put together. So how about a cheeky share to show your appreciation? Please and thank you. 🙏Job CornerThe job board has been updated and this week’s deadlines include jobs at CTV, the Financial Times, Newsquest, Poynter, the Pulitzer Center and the City NY. Spread the word. 🤜🤛Who is Cass Sunstein?Cass is considered one of the smartest behavioural economists and legal scholars on the planet. He’s the founder and director of the Program on Behavioural Economics and Public Policy at his alma mater, Harvard Law School, the author of dozens of books — one of which (Nudge) is the subject of the podcast, and was the administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs from 2009 to 2012 in the Obama administration, of whom he became friends with during their time together at the University of Chicago. I’ve followed Cass’ work for a long time, so it was an absolute treat to hear him speak at the London School of Economics back in January on his then latest book How Change Happens (more on that later). NudgeTogether with Richard Thaler, Cass co-authored perhaps his most influential book, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Published in 2008, the book describes the theory that almost all decisions we make in life, whether it’s where and when to buy a house or even as small as picking what to have for lunch from a restaurant menu, are influenced by the decisions and frames, or “nudges”, made by other humans, aka “choice architects”. For example, would you go bungee jumping if the instructor told you there was a 90 percent chance nothing bad would happen? Probably. But what about if the instructor told you there was a 10 percent chance you’ll die if you jump? Probably not, right? The book was well-received among free market policy makers as a way to increase economic activity. But you can apply the theory in almost every aspect of life, such as where in a new school an architect chooses to place the bathroom will determine how often students go to the toilet. Cass and Thaler have been heavily influenced by another pair of behavioural scientists, Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, whose friendship helped shape the world we live in today…The Undoing ProjectThe friendship between Tversky and Kahneman is among the most important in recent history, and was excellently chronicled by author Michael Lewis in The Undoing Project: A Friendship that Changed the World. Lewis documents how the two Israeli psychologists identified in the late 1960s how humans tend to make decisions based on emotion over rationality — see Moneyball. Before Tversky and Kahneman, not much was known about why we make the decisions we do, and their work has since influenced most, if not all, behavioural economic theory we have today, including that of Cass and Thaler. Check out Lewis speak about the book and friendship to Malcolm Gladwell below…Related Podcasts 🎙️#61 — Rachel Botsman (University of Oxford) on issues with trusting people and the media#58 — Art Markman (University of Texas) on knowing ourselves and the power of introversion#44 — Sebastian Junger (Tribe, The Perfect Storm) on how some humans are addicted to war because it unites themHow Change HappensAs mentioned earlier, I was lucky enough to catch Cass speak at the LSE about his latest book on how social change happens. Why is that after around 150,000 years that we Homo Sapiens have occupied this planet, that it took until the early 19th century for women in many countries to vote? And how did the social movement that led to women in Saudi Arabia being able to vote in 2015 even start? Once we understand what’s happened in the past then we can begin to dismantle other archaic and repressive policies around the world. Check out Cass’ talk by clicking on the button below…What is Luck?So many of our decisions influenced by other people. Cass elicits that 100 percent of our decisions are controlled by choice architects, whether it’s intentional or not. It raises the question of whether luck is real or a fictional concept we’ve made up over past centuries and millennia. The answer to this question depends on the situation. According to Merriam Webster, luck is “the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual”. So let’s break it down with a few examples personal to me, but please apply to your own circumstances as we go along…Let’s start with how I believe I got my current job at The Wall Street Journal. Back in February, a member of the graphics team got in touch about a possible opening and told me I should apply. One might call that lucky, but said member follows this very newsletter and thus was familiar with my work. They wouldn’t have been if I hadn’t published this newsletter, so I don’t think my new job was down to luck. That’s something I indirectly controlled, i.e. the quality and quantity of my work. But there are still many things that I’ve had zero control over. The most prominent in all of our lives are things such as which country we’re born in, our sex at birth and what name our parents give us. We have absolutely no control over any of that, which means that some degree of luck is involved that’ll determine where we live, how much money we’ll earn and whether we’ll face a lifetime of racism or not, for example. In what ways has luck played a part in your lives?The Future of Behavioural EconomicsTversky and Kahneman only started to theorize in the late 1960s, which makes the field of behavioural economics incredibly young. Already in the past half a century, we’ve learned so much about ourselves and how our brains are wired. As we head into the next 50 years, Cass fully expects the explosion of knowledge to continue at a rapid rate. He referenced books such as Scarcity: Why having too little means so much, which explores why people in difficult circumstances tend to make objectively bad decisions. For example, why is it that people in poverty don’t take advantage of opportunities to save when they can? Why are poor people perceived as less capable than rich people? I know a lottttt of wealthy folks that are stupid asses!Now that we have a decent understanding of how our brains work, we can continue to build from Cass’ work and apply this knowledge to improve people’s lives. Cass referenced the idea of getting rid of the ‘sludge’ — he apologized for the similar-sounding name to this book, Nudge — to make our lives far easier. Sludge is the burdens and hoops institutions make us jump through in order to complete important and sometimes trivial tasks. For example, to my knowledge Transport For London don’t tell you if you’ve crossed into a congestion charge zone — it costs at least £15 to drive in certain areas in central London — which is a form of choice architecture that has created ‘sludge’ for drivers in not knowing whether they need to pay. And in the U.S., the process of finding a healthcare provider, filling out the forms and receiving a payout is a tedious task created by humans that can be easily avoided. Now that we know sludge exists and we have a snazzy word for it, we can figure out ways to reduce it. See you later this week… 👋 Get on the email list at insidethenewsroom.substack.com

Cass Sunstein is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the government of Norway, sometimes described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and the humanities. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and after that, he served on the President's Review Board on Intelligence and Communications Technologies and on the Pentagon's Defence Innovation Board. Cass has testified before congressional committees on many subjects, and he has advised officials at the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank, and many nations on issues of law and public policy. He serves as an adviser to the Behavioural Insights Team in the United Kingdom. Cass is, of course, the author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books, including Nudge (with Richard H. Thaler, 2008), Simpler (2013), The Ethics of Influence (2015), Republic (2017), Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide (2017), The Cost-Benefit Revolution (2018), On Freedom (2019), Conformity (2019), How Change Happens (2019), and Too Much Information (2020).

This podcast episode highlights the book, "How Change Happens" by Duncan Green. This book outlines how community leaders can create change within communities, states and nations. The lessons from this book can be applied to improve current social, political, environmental and economic issues. We discuss past advocates’ work and how their strategies can be applied by current and future community leaders to positively transform communities. 

Generation Innovation: How Change Happens in Construction Companies with Andrew Silverstein   The construction industry is considered fairly stable and in-demand as there are hundreds of roads, bridges, and buildings that need construction every day. However, it is also rapidly changing in terms of innovation and technological progress. Modernization is essential for the evolution of the business to remain attractive to both customers and future employees. In today's episode, Andrew Silverstein of Metralite shares his experience in the construction industry as a young executive in a company full of experienced and seasoned employees. We will discuss why modernization is important in the industry, as well as how to effectively implement transitions. Andrew has tons of interesting insights and advice to share with us. Check out these highlights and tune in to the show! About Our Guest: Andrew Silverstein is the Vice President of Metralite Industries Inc., an architectural metal and glass construction company in New York that mostly concentrates on making Manhattan’s corporate interiors. He oversees the estimating and sales department of the company. How Change Happens in Construction Companies Early Beginnings Andrew had a passion for public service and joined Teach For America after graduating. He had an unexpected career shift from being a teacher and a school administrator to the private sector in a construction company as a corporate executive. He used to be an outside counsel for his father as a teenager. He then proceeded to join the multi-generational company to continue the family legacy. Andrew focuses on estimating sales for the company, as well as helping in operations and modernizing the process Modernizing The Construction Business Part of overseeing any department of the company means having to develop true knowledge of construction. Metralite used to focus on both storefronts alongside corporate interiors but decided to shift concentration and resources to only corporate interiors. Evolution is nature's most powerful law. You either adapt, or you go extinct. Changing a company is difficult because most organizations are static. It needs action from the top management. The construction business struggles to innovate because there are high barriers to market entry. Having The Correct Business Attitude Have humility and do not be afraid to learn from the people under you. People respect when you own your knowledge gaps. Be transparent with your customers. “You got to fish where there are fish.” Meet people; both employees and customers where they are. Adapt to your team and bring them towards your goal. Make mistakes and be comfortable with it. Mistakes And Lessons In Running a Construction Company The management rolled out sophisticated software to employees but no one used it. Change cannot be implemented immediately. Be comfortable with gradual change. It is okay to have slow, small wins as long as you are consistent with your direction. Be the role model for your team. Why The Construction Industry Is Attractive It is a financially stable sector with practical career options and is always in demand. There is ownership in seeing something tangible that you build. Even with a generation less inclined because this is an unsexy industry, the excellent compensation and sense of pride in making something you can touch and see is desirable. The Importance Of Customer Service In Construction Having excellent customer service is now at a dramatically different level and standard than it was before. You can order something and know exactly how it looks when it arrives. Nobody believes that the contractor should demand and dictate the terms anymore. Starting Out In A Construction Career People learn things in different ways. Gain experience and knowledge by understanding first in which method you learn best. Make hard work your competitive advantage. Never forget to practice humility even as you progress on your career Advice For Companies In Transition “The most successful companies are ones who really define what their core principles are.” Get the consensus and values of the whole team to make sure everyone is on the same page. "There was a common theme for us. Quality, quality, quality." Resources Good To Great by Jim Collins   Check out Metralite's website and connect with Andrew Silverstein on LinkedIn. Connect with me on LinkedIn. For more podcast episodes, visit my website, and you can also check out Construction Genius Podcast on LinkedIn. Tune in to the Construction Genius: A Leadership Master-Class Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Whether you are an activist, campaigner, development practitioner, lobbyist, entrepreneur, individual or an organisation, Duncan Green’s latest book, How Change Happens seeks to understand how power and systems shape change, and how to influence them.In this month’s episode of between the lines, Duncan speaks with IDS researcher Jo Howard, offering the latest thinking on what works to achieve progressive change.Download the Open Access book.Watch the short summary of the Power and Systems ApproachThis podcast is produced and edited by IDS Communications Coordinator, Sarah King. Please Send any comments and suggestions to betweenthelines@ids.ac.uk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It can often feel hopeless to be an activist seeking social change on an obscure issue where most people seem opposed or at best indifferent to you. But according to a new book by Professor Cass Sunstein, they shouldn't despair. Large social changes are often abrupt and unexpected, arising in an environment of seeming public opposition. The Communist Revolution in Russia spread so swiftly it confounded even Lenin. Seventy years later the Soviet Union collapsed just as quickly and unpredictably. In the modern era we have gay marriage, #metoo and the Arab Spring, as well as nativism, Euroskepticism and Hindu nationalism. How can a society that so recently seemed to support the status quo bring about change in years, months, or even weeks? Sunstein — co-author of Nudge, Obama White House official, and by far the most cited legal scholar of the late 2000s — aims to unravel the mystery and figure out the implications in his new book How Change Happens. He pulls together three phenomena which social scientists have studied in recent decades: preference falsification, variable thresholds for action, and group polarisation. If Sunstein is to be believed, together these are a cocktail for social shifts that are chaotic and fundamentally unpredictable. • Links to learn more, summary and full transcript. • 80,000 Hours Annual Review 2018. • How to donate to 80,000 Hours. In brief, people constantly misrepresent their true views, even to close friends and family. They themselves aren't quite sure how socially acceptable their feelings would have to become, before they revealed them, or joined a campaign for social change. And a chance meeting between a few strangers can be the spark that radicalises a handful of people, who then find a message that can spread their views to millions. According to Sunstein, it's "much, much easier" to create social change when large numbers of people secretly or latently agree with you. But 'preference falsification' is so pervasive that it's no simple matter to figure out when that's the case. In today's interview, we debate with Sunstein whether this model of cultural change is accurate, and if so, what lessons it has for those who would like to shift the world in a more humane direction. We discuss: • How much people misrepresent their views in democratic countries. • Whether the finding that groups with an existing view tend towards a more extreme position would stand up in the replication crisis. • When is it justified to encourage your own group to polarise? • Sunstein's difficult experiences as a pioneer of animal rights law. • Whether activists can do better by spending half their resources on public opinion surveys. • Should people be more or less outspoken about their true views? • What might be the next social revolution to take off? • How can we learn about social movements that failed and disappeared? • How to find out what people really think. Get this episode by subscribing to our podcast on the world’s most pressing problems: type 80,000 Hours into your podcasting app. Or read the transcript on our site. The 80,000 Hours Podcast is produced by Keiran Harris.

Insights from three of the world's leading thinkers on how political and societal change happens: presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, 'Nudge' author Cass Sunstein, and philosopher Roberto Unger. Plus, the story of how a bar fight in the House of Commons may have inadvertently changed the course of British political history… Presented by Matthew Taylor. Featuring: Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and America’s pre-eminent presidential historian. Author of Leadership: Lessons from the Presidents from Turbulent Times. Cass Sunstein, co-author of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, on the use of behavioural economics in shaping social policy, author of How Change Happens, and Robert Walmsley Professor at Harvard. Roberto Mangabeira Unger, philosopher and author of The Knowledge Economy. Produced by James Shield. Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

Insights from three of the world's leading thinkers on how political and societal change happens: presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, 'Nudge' author Cass Sunstein, and philosopher Roberto Unger. Plus, the story of how a bar fight in the House of Commons may have inadvertently changed the course of British political history… Presented by Matthew Taylor. Featuring: Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and America’s pre-eminent presidential historian. Author of Leadership: Lessons from the Presidents from Turbulent Times. Cass Sunstein, co-author of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, on the use of behavioural economics in shaping social policy, author of How Change Happens, and Robert Walmsley Professor at Harvard. Roberto Mangabeira Unger, philosopher and author of The Knowledge Economy. Produced by James Shield. Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

In this week's Books Podcast Sam is joined by Professor Cass Sunstein - best known here as co-author of the hugely influential 2008 book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, which spawned a whole transatlantic movement in using behavioural psychology to influence public policy (not least over here in the Cabinet Office's celebrated "Nudge Unit"). Cass's new book is called How Change Happens -- and extends the arguments of his previous books to talk about the mechanisms that determine quite big, and quite abrupt shifts in politics and social attitudes. Sam asks him how his ideas about nudging have changed over the last decade; about the limits and contradictions of "libertarian paternalism"; about the dangers of "group polarisation"; about how much we can or should trust to big tech and the mechanisms of the market; and about how the explosion in digital media has changed the democratic landscape for good.

In this week's Books Podcast Sam is joined by Professor Cass Sunstein -- best known here as co-author of the hugely influential 2008 book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, which spawned a whole transatlantic movement in using behavioural psychology to influence public policy (not least over here in the Cabinet Office's celebrated "Nudge Unit"). Cass's new book is called How Change Happens -- and extends the arguments of his previous books to talk about the mechanisms that determine quite big, and quite abrupt shifts in politics and social attitudes. Sam asks him how his ideas about nudging have changed over the last decade; about the limits and contradictions of "libertarian paternalism"; about the dangers of "group polarisation"; about how much we can or should trust to big tech and the mechanisms of the market; and about how the explosion in digital media has changed the democratic landscape for good. Spectator Books is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes of Spectator Books [here](https://audioboom.com/dashboard/4905582).

One of the world’s most influential public thinkers Cass Sunstein explores the different ways that social change can happen, from nudges to movements to cascades. Drawing from two new books On Freedom and How Change Happens, Sunstein explores the myriad ways that change can happen at both individual and social scale, ranging from gradual nudges, to growing movements to sudden cascades. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 4th April 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/04/how-change-happens

Why are some social change movements successful while others are not? On this week’s episode, author and Georgetown University’s Global Social Enterprise Initiative Executive Director Leslie Crutchfield and WinniE’s Bakery chef/owner Elise Smith talk about effective leadership and “how to do well by doing good” with hosts Debbie and Billy Shore. In her latest book, “How Change Happens: Why Some Movements Succeed While Others Don’t,” Crutchfield defines common denominators driving recent successful social movements. “Successful movements turn grassroots gold. They invest in and nurture local leaders… It’s the combination of grassroots and organizations that put all the pieces together so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” she explains. She cites Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign as one of those successes. Smith describes her passion for being involved as a grassroots volunteer for No Kid Hungry. “Childhood hunger is something that should not be happening in our country. Whenever I get overwhelmed thinking about how big a problem it is, it [gives me] a sense of ease to know there is something I can do,” she says. Crutchfield has been writing about the social entrepreneurship movement from its beginnings. “[Social enterprise is] grounded in a value that business is in service to society. It’s not just for profit, it’s for people and the planet, too. We sit at the intersection of ‘how do you make a profit and create social and environmental impact,’” she says. In addition to baking delicious treats for fundraising events, Smith recently went to Capitol Hill with (previous Add Passion and Stir guest) chef Jason Alley to lobby legislators to support SNAP and summer meals programs. “That passion for food and people is where we connected,” she says. Listen to these two dynamic guests connect the larger social movements driving real change with the more personal motivations that drive grassroots activism.

Human society is full of would-be ‘change agents’. A restless mix of campaigners, lobbyists, and officials, both individuals and organisations, are set on transforming the world. They want to improve public services, reform laws and regulations, guarantee human rights, get a fairer deal for those on the sharp end, achieve greater recognition for any number of issues, or simply be treated with respect. Scholarly discussions of change are fragmented with few conversations crossing disciplinary boundaries, rarely making it onto the radars of those actively seeking change. Duncan Green’s new book 'How Change Happens', bridges the gap between academia and practice. It brings together the best research from a range of academic disciplines and the evolving practical understanding of activists to explore the topic of social and political change. Drawing on many first-hand examples from the global experience of Oxfam, as well as the author’s insights from studying and working on international development, it tests ideas on how change happens and offers the latest thinking on what works to achieve progressive change. In this podcast, Duncan launches the book 'How Change Happens'. The event was co-presented by the Development Policy Centre, the State, Society & Governance in Melanesia Program and the Research for Development Impact Network and the Development Leadership Program. Dr Duncan Green is Oxfam Great Britain’s Senior Strategic Adviser. He also teaches on international development at the London School of Economics, where he is a Professor in Practice. He has published two books, From Poverty to Power and How Change Happens.

Dr Duncan Green of Oxfam joins Sydney Ideas to share the ideas in his latest book How Change Happens, exploring the topic of social and political change from the perspective of international development. SPEAKER: Dr Duncan Green is Oxfam Great Britain’s Senior Strategic Adviser. He teaches on international development at the London School of Economics, where he is a Professor in Practice. His blog is one of the most widely read on international development, From Poverty to Power blog (http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/). Presented by Sydney Ideas on 3 April 2017: http://sydney.edu.au/sydney_ideas/lectures/2017/duncan_green.shtml

CID Research Fellow Tim McNaught interviews Duncan Green, Oxfam Strategic Adviser and LSE Professor of International Development on his latest book, "How Change Happens". Recorded on December 7th, 2016. "How Change Happens" explores how political and social change takes place, and the role of individuals and organizations in influencing that change. In the book, Duncan discusses the challenges that ‘systems thinking’ creates for traditional activism and aid, and how a ‘power and systems approach’ requires activists, whether in campaigns, companies or governments, to fundamentally rethink the way they understand the world and try to influence it.

How can we understand the events, individuals and institutions that change the world? Can we use this to change things for the better? During this Geneva stop on his global book tour, Duncan Green introduced the arguments of his new book, "How Change Happens", which combines research with practical experience to explore the topic of social and political change. Drawing on many first-hand examples and insights from studying and working on international development, the book offers the latest thinking on what works to achieve progressive change.

Senior's Program for September 2016 - Rev. Frances Deverell delivers a sermon titled "How Change Happens"

Elaine Kamarck is the author of How Change Happens–or Doesn’t: The Politics of US Public Policy (Lynne Rienner, 2013). Kamarck is a lecturer in public policy at the Harvard University Kennedy School after serving in the Clinton administration. She is also a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at Brookings and the founding director of the Center for Effective Public Management. Kamarck draws on her years of political service to describe how the policy process works. She highlights the practical dimensions of what slows and speeds policy change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elaine Kamarck is the author of How Change Happens–or Doesn’t: The Politics of US Public Policy (Lynne Rienner, 2013). Kamarck is a lecturer in public policy at the Harvard University Kennedy School after serving in the Clinton administration. She is also a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at Brookings and the founding director of the Center for Effective Public Management. Kamarck draws on her years of political service to describe how the policy process works. She highlights the practical dimensions of what slows and speeds policy change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elaine Kamarck is the author of How Change Happens–or Doesn’t: The Politics of US Public Policy (Lynne Rienner, 2013). Kamarck is a lecturer in public policy at the Harvard University Kennedy School after serving in the Clinton administration. She is also a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at Brookings and the founding director of the Center for Effective Public Management. Kamarck draws on her years of political service to describe how the policy process works. She highlights the practical dimensions of what slows and speeds policy change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebroadcast: this episode was originally released in June 2019. It can often feel hopeless to be an activist seeking social change on an obscure issue where most people seem opposed or at best indifferent to you. But according to a new book by Professor Cass Sunstein, they shouldn't despair. Large social changes are often abrupt and unexpected, arising in an environment of seeming public opposition. The Communist Revolution in Russia spread so swiftly it confounded even Lenin. Seventy years later the Soviet Union collapsed just as quickly and unpredictably. In the modern era we have gay marriage, #metoo and the Arab Spring, as well as nativism, Euroskepticism and Hindu nationalism. How can a society that so recently seemed to support the status quo bring about change in years, months, or even weeks? Sunstein - co-author of Nudge, Obama White House official, and by far the most cited legal scholar of the late 2000s - aims to unravel the mystery and figure out the implications in his new book How Change Happens. He pulls together three phenomena which social scientists have studied in recent decades: preference falsification, variable thresholds for action, and group polarisation. If Sunstein is to be believed, together these are a cocktail for social shifts that are chaotic and fundamentally unpredictable.Links to learn more, summary and full transcript. In brief, people constantly misrepresent their true views, even to close friends and family. They themselves aren't quite sure how socially acceptable their feelings would have to become, before they revealed them, or joined a campaign for social change. And a chance meeting between a few strangers can be the spark that radicalises a handful of people, who then find a message that can spread their views to millions. According to Sunstein, it's "much, much easier" to create social change when large numbers of people secretly or latently agree with you. But 'preference falsification' is so pervasive that it's no simple matter to figure out when that's the case. In today's interview, we debate with Sunstein whether this model of cultural change is accurate, and if so, what lessons it has for those who would like to shift the world in a more humane direction. We discuss: * How much people misrepresent their views in democratic countries. * Whether the finding that groups with an existing view tend towards a more extreme position would stand up in the replication crisis. * When is it justified to encourage your own group to polarise? * Sunstein's difficult experiences as a pioneer of animal rights law. * Whether activists can do better by spending half their resources on public opinion surveys. * S