Research & Publications - Canadian Examples
ed. Frederick Bird and Frances Westley
2010-11
Voices from the Voluntary Sector contains reasoned reflections by practitioners on some of the significant challenges faced by today's not-for-profit organizations in Canada. Broad in scope, these essays present a rich, multi-dimensional set of vignettes that as a whole express the vitality and humanity of the voluntary sector in Canada.
The contributors discuss organizational and managerial challenges, social entrepreneurship, and how to foster effective global movements. The essays include a...
Clara Bird
2010-06
The Notes of a Newcomer project began in late 2008 and is both an investigation into social innovation at the local level and an exploration of Waterloo Region specifically. Told through the experiences of a young person newly arrived in the region, it was also an opportunity for SiG@Waterloo to build, and build upon, its relationships in the local community.
Ola Tjornbo, Frances Westley, Darcy Riddell
2010-01
The Great Bear Rainforest Story
Introduction to the Case Study
The Great Bear Rainforest campaign has made a huge impact on the province of British Columbia in the last twenty years. It is a process that is still ongoing, but which must now be acknowledged to have enjoyed huge success. Radical shifts have taken place throughout the social, ecological and economic systems of the area, empowering new groups of actors, creating new decision making processes, allowing for the emergence of new...
Andrew Dilts & Frances Westley
2009-03
This case study and attached teaching notes were created from a series of interviews and the subsequent integration of multiple perspectives on both sides of community-university research projects. The issues, opportunities and challenges raised by community organizations, academic researchers and project funders underline the complexity of such cross-sector collaborations. Common problems and questions that emerged from the interviews are highlighted; these focus generally on such aspects as...
SiG@Waterloo, CCBR, Region of Waterloo, CIGI
2009-03
Frances Westley & Nino Antadze
2009-02
This case study of the journey to establish the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), reviews the nature of complexity and inter-relationship as it applies to social innovation. The RDSP is a real-life Canadian innovation and this fascinating story offers lessons for anyone interested in wide-spread social change, or for those interested in how new financial mechanisms can be used to achieve positive social impact. This case study provides an illuminating look into the years of exploration...
