Reviewer: Tobias Denskus
Date Published: April 2013
Source: Aidnography (http://aidnography.blogspot.com/2013/04/kaufman-social-entrepreneurship-atrocities.html)
Excerpt:
The book is a very interesting and important window into how today’s ‘high potentials’ engage in international development with an enhanced set of skills and a strong entrepreneurial spirit to have a sustainable impact. All of the contributors seem to know a lot about leadership, project management and ‘development 2.0’ which indirectly puts a spotlight on traditional donors and organizations and the many ways they often do not seem to get ‘it’ (yet?). It also raises questions for educators on all levels how to ensure a balanced education that includes critical development, hands-on, and entrepreneurial thinking and skills. As development dynamics are changing rapidly large organizations either need to be more ‘entrepreneurial’ – or they need to communicate better why these models may not be appropriate in a specific context.
Reviewer: William Duncan
Date Published: 2013
Source: Peace and Justice (http://peaceandjustice.org.uk/newsletter/peace-and-justice-news-global-justice-issues/entrepreneurship-and-peacebuilding/)
Excerpt:
In his book Social Entrepreneurship in the Age of Atrocities, Zachary Kaufman provides numerous examples of how the empathetic leadership of social entrepreneurs provides a foundation for peace as an alternative to strife and conflict.
. . .
These organizations demonstrate how entrepreneurship in post-conflict countries captures a sense of destiny that comes with finding hope. For individuals looking to rebuild their lives, provide a secure and stable living for their families, social entrepreneurs approach societal issues in a way that allows for people to gain empowerment through new skills and knowledge. These types of leaders bring social innovation to parts of the globe where societal issues can be complex and forbidding. It takes transformative vision and belief to see a future for a society which has experienced the strife of violent conflict where individuals live in peaceful, secure and thriving communities.
Reviews of Social Entrepreneurship in the Age of Atrocities are forthcoming.
This splendid book is more than a primer on social entrepreneurship for human rights in the developing world. It is also a compendium of searing testimony about the immense practical challenges that idealistic changemakers can overcome by dint of their unflagging energy, incandescent visions of humanity and justice, and on-the-ground skills and resourcefulness. Zachary Kaufman has performed a great public service in orchestrating this admirable volume about how hope for the future can be vindicated even under the most unpromising conditions.”
