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Research
Social Innovation Research
Heinz College boasts some of the leading researchers in the world among its faculty. Many of these professors are leading the avenue for change by offering provocative strategies and tools to resolve existing social challenges for the benefit of society. The ISI supports their high quality research to bring about these new ideas. Below is a list of some current research projects.
Social Investment, E-Philanthropy, and Race
Heinz College faculty members Robert Hampshire, Mel Stephens, and Lowell Taylor are working with DonorsChoose.org and Prosper.com to make online giving a "stickier" and more attractive experience for participants.
They're working to build online networks that yield not only funding for entrepreneurs but also contributions of innovative ideas and expertise. They're also looking into the roles of social networks and race in peer-to-peer lending and investment. For instance, does identifying yourself as African American on donorschoose.org compromise the site's success in securing donations?
Four Master's students are working on these projects. Prof. Hampshire has begun collaborating with Google.org on peer-to-peer lending research and he and his colleagues soon will be submitting papers for publication to the International Conference of Information Systems.
Private Sector Social Enterprise
Visiting professor Jerr Boschee, working with five students, is leading the first comprehensive, longitudinal study of private sector businesses that directly confront social needs through the products and services they deliver, rather than indirectly through socially responsible business practices such as corporate philanthropy, living wages, and environmentally friendly operations.
Local Food/Local Economies
Heinz College faculty Rick Stafford, Social Innovation Fellow Julie Pezzino, and other collaborators at the university are planning for an applied research and practical-problem solving project focusing on strengthening Pittsburgh's local food network and local economy.
This effort entails developing recommendations for revamping the Pittsburgh Public Schools' lunch program, planning a local agriculture mentoring program, and examining and articulating policy-based interventions to deal with contributors to out-of-control food prices around the world including rising energy costs, biofuel competition with food, extreme weather, increased meat consumption, and food futures' speculation.