About
“Social Innovation” has become a popular buzzword in the field of international development. But what does it
mean and how does it take place? What lessons can we learn from the past and how can public policy help
advance it? What is the role of emerging technologies and market-based mechanisms in advancing Social Innovation?
Hosted by the Economic and Political Development (EPD) concentration and International Media, Advocacy
and Communications (IMAC) specialization at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs
(SIPA), the Global Conversation on Social Innovation and Development will bring together policy-makers,
researchers and practitioners from around the world to discuss these questions with students and the larger Columbia
University community.
This one-day conference aims to foster a cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural discussion, identifying lessons
that can advance fresh approaches to development challenges, new forms of collaboration across sectors, sustained
public engagement and collective action.
