The importance of openness and structure in fostering cross-sector innovation is highlighted in the insights provided. Openness involves sharing challenges, data, and service delivery openly to encourage collaboration and problem-solving from diverse communities. The example of opening up data to social entrepreneurs and community activists showcases the need to make data actionable and accessible. On the other hand, creating structures and formal pathways for external individuals to engage with local government is crucial. The need to establish clear mechanisms for community members to present their ideas and solutions effectively is emphasized to facilitate cross-sector innovation.
This episode invites you to a conversation among the representatives of three fields – a social entrepreneur, a former government official and a funder interested in supporting cooperation between social entrepreneurs and governments. Listen to the experiences and recommendations of Denisa Livingston, an Ashoka Fellow empowering Navajo communities to take control of food policy through Diné Community Advocacy Alliance (US), Maria Vassilaku, former deputy mayor of Vienna (Austria) and Jim Anderson, Director of Government Innovation at Bloomberg Philanthropies (US). If you are interested to learn more about how social entrepreneurs can effectively work with government and what are the examples, we encourage you to have a look at our new free online course on this topic at https://academy.vc4a.com/courses/trabajo-con-el-gobierno/ (Spanish version) and www.ashoka.org/working-with-government (English version).
The online course and the second season of the Ashoka Systems Change podcast were developed thanks to the support and in partnership with PES Latam.