Perhaps it is unsurprising that in recent years — amidst a global recession and widespread critiques of financial markets — a new breed of economist is emerging from the halls of academe and garnering public attention.  Rather than focusing on the theoretical or anomalous, these researchers explore how applied economics can be used to shed insight on some of the toughest problems in international development, from improving the efficacy of HIV/AIDS education in Africa to understanding the impact of microcredit on quality of life.  An aspiring economist myself at the time, I first learned of the Jameel Poverty Action Lab after reading a NYTimes article published in early 2008.  When columnist David Leonhardt surveyed economists to find out who was using economics to make the world a better place, “the small group of economists who work at the Jameel Poverty Action Lab at M.I.T., led by Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, were mentioned far more often than anyone else.”

Almost two years after that article was published, Esther Duflo, a faculty member at M.I.T., received a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant for her work.  As an article published by MIT boasts, Duflo “has gained renown for using the world as a laboratory to see why aid programs succeed or fail [and] in so doing, she has not just tweaked conventional wisdom but helped revitalize global antipoverty efforts.”  Although the experimental designs which often facilitate these types of analyses — randomized control trials in which persons are afforded different levels of treatment based on random assignments — are often hotly debated, they are constantly being refined and improved to ensure that the developing world does not become a testing ground for first-world tinkerers.  Despite the fact that the ultimate impact of these efforts is still largely unknown, it is encouraging that such research endeavors are being pursued (and rewarded) so vigorously.

Well, we’ve got the perfect solution for you! GES is excited to announce an awesome opportunity being offered by our partner Sparkseed. It’s called the Social Innovation Competition, and wee are encouraging all delegates to apply! Sparkseed is accepting applications from exceptional college undergraduates who are leading or will launch ventures that tackle today’s toughest social issues. This is a great opportunity for GES delegates who are looking for funding, consulting, or mentoring opportunities. Prizes include $11,000 in seed money, $20,000 in pro-bono consulting, and top quality mentorships from entrepreneurs and executives.

To apply, go tohttp://www.sparkseed.org/competition/ and sign up!

The deadline to apply is February 7th, so don’t waste any time. When you apply make sure to let GES know so that we can encourage all of our staffers to follow your project profile on YouTube. Good luck!

Jet setting around the globe in the name of sustainability, Juan Soriano, a 2009 GES delegate, attended the 2-week UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, December 7-18.  As part of SustainUS, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of young people advancing sustainable development and youth empowerment in the United States, Juan represented youth across the US.  Through SustainUS, Juan also rallied behind a cause he strongly supports as a native of Peru, which was to send a delegation of youth from Latin America who are often underrepresented at conferences such as these.  During the conference, Juan delivered a speech drafted by the International Youth Climate Movement (IYCM) to the heads of state inside the Bella Center on behalf of youth around the world.

The GES Outcomes Team recently brainstormed over 80 different organizations that we’re interested in working with this year and did extensive research on all of them to determine which ones would be a perfect fit for GES. It was exciting and inspiring to see the awesome work that other organizations are doing in the field of international development. I can’t wait to start working with some of them!

At the end of the meeting we decided it would be great for the GES Outcomes team to have a slogan this year. Some of the ideas we came up with included, “the next ascent,” “more than a summit,” “taking you to the next level,” “the descent,” and “to the summit and beyond!”

We also want to create a name for all the cool organizations we partner up with for the Global Engagement Summit. In the past these have included orgs like Global Giving, Fast Forward Fund, Mission Measurement, All Day Buffet, and Pivot Non-Profit Consulting. In the future we will add stellar organizations including the Unreasonable Institute, Sparkseed, and Starting Bloc. But we don’t have a good way to describe our partnerships with these organizations. We were inspired by the fact that the Unreasonable Institute names their partners “pipeline partners,” so we want to work off of that. Unfortunately… all we could come up with was “aqueduct partners” and “opportunity catipultors.” Not so great.

We’re not quite sure what works best for us, so we’re opening it up to you for suggestions! Leave your suggestions for us in the comments area, and one lucky reader will get to choose the 2009-2010 Outcomes team slogan and partnership name. As a reward for your creativity and for helping us out we will arrange for you to have an all-expenses paid dinner at the globally engaged restaurant of your choice. So start suggesting away!

The Co-Founders of our new pipeline partner the Unreasonable Institute, Daniel Epstein and Teju Ravilochan, discuss how their fellows are selected.  In this video interview Daniel and Teju share the background story on why they started The Unreasonable Institute to provide training and mentorship for young social entrepreneurs. Learn about The Unreasonable Institute’s Fellows Program, who they are looking for, how to apply, and more.

Applications opened November 15th and run until December 15. Twenty five high-impact young social entrepreneurs will be selected from around the world to join in an intensive 10-week training program taught by seasoned social entrepreneurs.

Thanks to Katrina from envisionGood.tv for sending us this video!