The Rise of the Social Entrepreneur (The Economist)

High-finance firms have seen little favorable press in recent years, but there's one economic trend that may begin to change that. It's called "social entrepreneurship" and it's becoming increasingly popular among leading financiers in all corners of the developed world. What, exactly, does a social entrepreneur do? Author David Bornstein describes the group as those who work to determine "how business and management skills can be applied to achieve social ends." In one example, UBS, a private Swiss bank that counts some of the world's wealthiest people as clients, is working to connect these clients with others who have great visions for social change. In their partnership with Ashoka, a global organization that invests in leading social entrepreneurs, UBS will offer a prize for social entrepreneurship. The prize is more than just financial gain, says UBS's Martin Liechti. It's an excuse to bring together two groups of people who might otherwise never meet, to enact social change.