 What is Social Entrepreneurship? Doctor giving an eye exam
Photo: Mitch Wilson      The job of a social entrepreneur is to
recognize when a part of society is stuck and to provide new
ways to get it unstuck. He or she finds what is not working and
solves the problem by changing the system, spreading the
solution and persuading entire societies to take new leaps.
Identifying and solving large-scale social problems requires a
committed person with a vision and determination to persist in
the face of daunting odds. Ultimately, social entrepreneurs are
driven to produce measurable impact by opening up new pathways
for the marginalized and disadvantaged, and unlocking society's
full potential to effect social change.  The past two decades
have seen an explosion of entrepreneurship and a healthy
competition in the social sector, which has discovered what the
business sector learned from the railroad, the stock market and
the digital revolution: Nothing is as powerful as a big new idea
if it is in the hands of a