Fall 2018

Topic:  The Economy of the Social Sector in the Global City

Director: Chris Georges, Professor of Economics
Email: cgeorges@hamilton.edu

New York City is home to many social entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations that aim to deliver creative, effective, and ethical solutions to local and global social problems. The social sector is an important contributor to the economy as a large employer and provider of goods and services. We will study social enterprises, the nonprofit sector, corporate social responsibility, and impact investing. The social sector has a long and vibrant history in New York City; we will learn about these topics from guest lectures and field trips to sites that illustrate past practices and current trends.;

College 395 Economics of the Social Sector
(Prerequisite Econ 102)

We will study the philanthropic sector, impact investing, corporate social responsibility, and social enterprises. We will examine conventional and new models of philanthropy, how for-profit enterprises incorporate social values into their business models, benefit corporations, and the principles and practices of social innovation. We will also consider challenges to the concepts of social innovation and concerns about the commercialization of the public good.

College 398 Seminar in Global Processes: Innovation in the Social Sector

In this course we will examine how social enterprises and nonprofit groups that operate in New York City tackle local, national, and global problems. We will consider how the social sector focuses on replicability and scale to extend local solutions to global problems. Students will learn from enterprises and organizations in New York City and take field trips to sites that illustrate past and current practices in the social sector.

College 396 Independent Study

A tutorial resulting in a substantial paper that integrates experience and learning from the internship with an academic perspective and knowledge gained in the seminars or other tutorial readings.

College 397 Internship

An Independent Study supervised by the director of the Program in New York City and based on an internship with a firm, organization, agency or advocacy group appropriate to the theme of course.