by Shelby Clark
In our work here at The Good Project, we often consider the question of what it means to make an impact in the world. Another way we ask this question is, “What does it mean to you to make a difference?”
Recently, my colleagues and I began to dig into the research about social impact, and four overarching frameworks emerged. These frameworks include:
Effective altruism. At its core, the Effective Altruism (EA) movement is about using evidence-based research to find ways of making the most impactful, long-term change. However, in practice, EA has been most associated with the “earning to give” movement, which involves taking a high income job to be able to give away a significant portion (usually >10%) to effective, evidence-based charities. In addition, EA is associated with the idea of “longtermism,” which involves trying to improve humanity’s long term prospects, such as focusing on and ameliorating the effects of AI and climate change.
Systems thinking. Many people think making a difference means addressing the root causes of social issues. This thinking is in line with “systems thinking” which focuses on how different elements of a context or system intersect and what outcomes or problems emerge as a result. In addition, systems thinking also involves addressing the particular power dynamics inherent in a system, the processes that are part of a system, the boundaries of the system, and who or what benefits from or is at a disadvantage as a result of the system.
Cascades. Other individuals believe in drawing on their personal relationships to make change in the world; they’ll tell their friend, who will then tell theirs, and so on. A wide variety of research now supports the idea of using ripple effects--or cascades--in order to make social change. However, this research has shown that there are two types of ripple effects: simple contagions versus complex contagions. In simple contagions, when there is very little cost for a person to do something (e.g., sharing a fun meme on social media), people are often more easily convinced by another individual to do something. However, in complex contagions, there is often a higher cost for an individual to get involved (e.g., attending a protest). In these cases, continued social reinforcement from peers is often necessary before individuals become involved.
Social entrepreneurship. Finally, some people are more entrepreneurially inclined in their thinking around impact. These people are social entrepreneurs, or creators who confront new challenges, seek new opportunities, and are willing to take on risks, with the goal of creating productive transformational change. As Bill Drayton, an early leader of social entrepreneurship and founder of Ashoka said, “Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry." Importantly, whereas for business entrepreneurs profit is expected from the outset, for social entrepreneurs the goal is societal transformation, with profit (if it results at all) a happy by-product.
To find out more about how your ideas of making a difference might align with these frameworks, visit our “Making a Difference” Questionnaire here:
Do you agree with the frameworks above? Are there ideas you believe are not captured within them? Or, perhaps there’s a framework not listed here that we should know about. What do you believe it means to “make a difference” in the world? Let us know in the comments below!