Social Impact Topics

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Get to know terms and and topics across innovation, development, industry, society, and culture.

Conceptual illustration of social entrepreneurship and innovation

What is Social Entrepreneurship?

Social entrepreneurship merges business principles with social missions to create sustainable ventures that address health, education, environment, and livelihood challenges through innovation and market-based solutions.
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Featured Topics

Proximatepedia brings together two essentials every mission-driven.

Impact at Scale

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Conceptual illustration of large-scale social impact and innovation

Diffusion of Innovations

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Diagram illustrating diffusion of innovations process and adopter categories

Narrative Change

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Abstract representation of narrative change and social innovation

Participatory Leadership

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Diverse group collaborating in participatory leadership meeting

Social Innovation

Definitions focused on work to improve life for people and planet.

Illustration representing capacity building and skill development

Capacity Building

Capacity building strengthens skills, resources, and systems to help individuals and organizations achieve and sustain their goals, supporting effective social innovation and local leadership.
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Abstract network connections representing collaboration and systemic change

Field Catalyst

Field catalysts drive systemic change by coordinating multiple actors, building capacity, and aligning efforts across sectors to address complex social challenges effectively.
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Conceptual illustration of paradigm shift and systemic change

Paradigm Shift

Paradigm shifts transform core beliefs and frameworks, enabling systemic change and innovation by challenging norms and expanding possibilities in development, technology, and social systems.
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Sustainable Development

Terms associated with development policy, funding, and delivery systems.

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research provides measurable evidence to explain relationships, test hypotheses, and assess impact, supporting informed...

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Abstract data visualization representing quantitative research concepts

Balanced Score Card

The balanced scorecard framework helps organizations track performance beyond finances, aligning strategy with operations and...

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Balanced scorecard concept with strategic performance metrics

Public-Private Partnerships

Public-Private Partnerships combine government scale and private sector innovation to address social challenges, expand resources,...

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Collaboration between government and private sector for public services

Validation Cycle

The validation cycle is a structured process that tests and refines innovations to ensure they...

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Diagram illustrating the iterative validation cycle process

Proximatepedia List of Concepts

Action Research Adaptive Leadership Adaptive Management Advocacy Agile Execution Applied Research Balanced Score Card Basic Research Beneficiary / Community Monitoring Business Entrepreneurship Capacity Building Causal Loop Mapping Change Agent Co-Creation Coalition Building Collaborative Leadership Collective Impact Collective Leadership Communities of Practice Community Champions Community Organizing Community-Based Delivery Community-Based Leadership Compliance Monitoring Context Monitoring Cost-Effectiveness / Economic Evaluation Cross-Subsidization Demonstration Model Diffusion of Innovations Digital Platforms Direct Service Disruptive Innovation Ecosystem Mapping Ecosystem Strengthening Evidence Building Experimental Research External / Independent Monitoring Fee-for-Service Field Building Field Catalyst Field Mapping / Field Scans Formative Evaluation Franchise Model Government Adoption Grassroots Agency Growth Trajectory Hub-and-Spoke Model Impact at Scale Impact Evaluation Insider-Outsider Leadership Institution Building Institutional Leadership Institutionalization Internal Monitoring International Development Last-Mile Distribution Networks Launch Process Localization / Localization 2.0 LogFrame Logic Model Long-Term Sustainability Longitudinal Research Mainstreaming Market-Based Solutions Mixed-Methods Research Movement Building Multi-Stakeholder Delivery Narrative Change Network Mapping Non-Experimental Research OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) Outcome Evaluation Outsourced / Contracted Delivery Paradigm Shift Participatory Action Research Participatory Leadership Participatory Monitoring Performance Dashboards / KPIs Philanthropic Stewardship Pilot Projects Policy Leadership Policy Reform Power Mapping Problem Discovery Problem Tree / Solution Tree Mapping Process / Implementation Evaluation Process Monitoring Proximate Leadership Public Provision Public-Private Partnerships Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Quasi-Experimental Research Real-Time Monitoring Replication Resilience Results Monitoring Results-Based Management Scaling Pathways Scenerio Planning Sector Mapping Sector Transformation Servant Leadership Shared (Lived) Experience Shared Proximity Shared Trust Shared Value Six Conditions of Systems Change Social Advantage Social Enterprise Delivery Social Entrepreneurship Social Goods Social Impact Social Innovation Social Return on Investment Social Systems Stakeholder Mapping Summative Evaluation Sustainability at Scale Sustainable Development Systems Change Systems Leadership Systems Mapping Theory of Change Thought Leadership Transactional Research Transformational Leadership Transformative Scale Triple Bottom Line Validation Cycle Value Chain Mapping Volunteer-Led Models Voucher / Subsidy Models
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