Fixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World Review

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Fixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World ReviewThis is an utterly brilliant book that has held my attention all morning. Although the authors do not integrate the thinking in the ten books below, I am totally, deeply, impressed by their intelligence, knowledge, and good intention.
They set out to develop understanding in five areas:
1. What State needs to do
2. How international community can help
3. How timelines and interdependencies should define sequencing
4. Why one size does NOT fit all
5. Why we must accept our shared responsibility and recognize the need for both proactive intervention, and coproduction (and sharing) of wealth.
I started with the endnotes and index, which is where I begin the most intelligent books in my reading program. I immediately detected the gaps that I address with the ten annotated links, but I was also immediately won over in seeing their appreciation for the report of the High Level Threat Panel of the UN, for Singapore under Lee Kwan Yew, for the balanced score card approach (some call for a triple bottom line), for Paul Collier's focus on the bottom billion, for Paul Hawkin's et al on natural capitalism.
Within the notes, I was shocked to learn that it has been reported that the United Nations deprived Afghanistan of the first two and a half years of all donor contribution, "by agreement" with US Government and World Bank. Since one of the author's has served as Finance Minister in Afghanistan, not only do I believe this--it must never happen again.
I find in this book one of the most original, refreshing, relevant, and therefore essential reviews on the matter of the State. Although the author's do not cite McIver, the original master on the origins and functions of the state, I consider them to be the new thought leaders and essential to any discussion of how to improve the inter-relationships among the eight tribes of governance: states, militaries, law enforcement authorities, academics, businesses, media, non-governmental organizations, and civil society including labor unions and religions. They are wrong-headed in thinking that "only sovereign states...will allow human progress to continue," and that "illegitimate networks will not be conquered except through hierarchical organizations," but in no way does this diminish the extreme importance of their deep thinking on the role of the state and the need to change both our concepts of sovereignty and our rules of the road for international organizations.
A useful early idea is that of the "double compact" between the country leadership and the international community on the one hand, and with the citizens on the other. It becomes obvious very quickly that corruption in government service is the single cancer that must be removed before states can achieve legitimacy and efficacy.
The authors have many gifted turns of phrase to include "harnessing our collective energies and readjusting to emerging patterns."
The authors recognize early on that legitimacy comes from below, from citizens, and must be earned.
I am not going to summarize each chapter, but I want to point readers toward the Army War College Strategy Conference, just concluded, on "Rebalancing the Instruments of National Power." I have posted both 29 pages of notes and an 8-page draft article for the Joint Forces Quarterly. Singapore got it early and is the world's first "smart nation." They understood early on that education powers economics, economics powers security, and so on.
Today, the authors document ably, stewardship of the environment, respect for social entrepreneurship, fair trade, and innovation in applying information technology to create wealth are all coming to the fore with honest leaders.
They identify five aspects of the networked world that are of note:
1. Framework for balancing activities of diverse stakeholders
2. Rule of law at a strategic level, with freedom of action at a tactical level (not quite true in the USA where the corrupt federal Congress establishes federal CEILINGS for regulatory action).
3. Massive investment--one reads repeatedly of the glut of money available for emerging markets (and I would add, the absence of both commercial intelligence and co-investment planning with charitable foundations)
4. World is evolving according to open systems (super point, see my keytone briefing to Gnomedex 2008, "Open Everything."
5. World is finally starting to evolve past rote memorization and toward recognizing patterns (the adaptive complex system and panarchy literature covers this well).
In the middle of the book they have six themes, each developed in a manner that makes this book quite valuable for any library, personal or organizational.
1. Conflict causes polarization of identities *and* ungovernability of aid subject to black market rules.
2. Peacemaking has been geared to compromise rather than strategic planning for a long-term outcome
3. This means that state dysfunctionality is highest immediately after the peace accord.
4. Even if civil war does not break out, cost of failed politics and poor policies is immense.
5. Lack of money is not the driver for poverty, but rather corrupt politics that enrich the few at the expense of the many.
6. Dysfunctional states spawn the rise and spread of networks of criminality and wealth confiscation instead of networks of social wealth creation and sharing.
The book concludes with "A New Agenda for State Building"
1. International compacts
2. Sovereignty strategy
3. Shared rules of the game
4. Mobilization of resources (this would be better titled harmonization of resources--we need Global Range of Gifts Tables for every country down to the village hut level, online, updated by national call centers
4. New leadership styles--this is a superb overview of what it takes to migrate from industrial era pyramidal leadership to Epoch B swarm leadership (see the image I am loading above).
5. Reflexive monitoring at every step of the implementation process
6. Double compact in practice
The final two chapters focus on national programs, and in conclusion, on "Collective Power."
I put the book down feeling GREAT.This book is a seminal reference.
Now for ten books (and my reviews) that round out this one book:
The Health of Nations: Society and Law beyond the State
High Noon 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them
Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, Third Edition
The leadership of civilization building: Administrative and civilization theory, symbolic dialogue, and citizen skills for the 21st century
Global Assemblages: Technology, Politics, and Ethics as Anthropological Problems
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits (Wharton School Publishing Paperbacks)
The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom
How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Updated Edition
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at PeaceFixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World Overview

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Prime Time: Love, health, sex, fitness, friendship, spirit--making the most of all of your life Review

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Prime Time: Love, health, sex, fitness, friendship, spirit--making the most of all of your life ReviewI was fortunate to receive an autographed copy of Jane Fonda's' Primetime' book a
week ago and started to read it immediately. I am a fan and follow her blogs and thus
was offered her book. This is her fourth book, and follows "Coming Of Age' where she
explored her life until the age of 60. Now she enters her seventh decade, and found she
is the happiest she has ever been. Jane Fonda researched many articles and subjects for
this book, and she has brought us the best advice she has found. More than advice this
book looks at how Jane and her friends have lived their lives, and what she has discovered
that helps to make her the healthiest and happiest. She brings us the best of Jane and the
best of our third act, what she calls 'Primetime'.
One of the biggest obstacles that most people face in moving ahead is that they really don't
know how to go forward. The best method is to look at the past and analyze what has occurred.
Find out where you have been, and then try to arrange a plan for the future- a life review.
Jane Fonda suggests using a stairway and steps as a metaphor. It sounds complex, but once you
read about the steps, it seems so plausible. Jane Fonda is very explicit in her discussions of
sex and sexuality in our later years. She discusses quite openly how to promote the best sex life
you can have, and the steps to take to get there. Jane shares her life. She lets us know where
she has been and where she is now,and where she hopes to be in 5 or 10 years. She is in a constant
state of learning, taking on new challenges one after another.
There is much discussion of nutrition and exercise, all that we know and some I was not aware of.
Friends, the importance of friendship in our lives, people and animals. Working or volunteering in
our communities, it gives a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Finances and what social
security really is and how to apply for it. Meditation and taking time for ourselves. Becoming whole
and how to prepare for the best time in our lives is the main message, interspersed with many stories
so wonderfully told. There is so much to this book, that I would recommend it to everyone over fifty-
oh, yes, men as well as women. There is a great deal that most men will want to know, even if the chapters
on sex are what gains most of their attention. This is a book that encompasses much of what we may want
to know and learn as we enter our 'best years'. Changing our perspective from yuck, growing older, to
whoopee, growing into our best years!
The greatest potential for growth and self-realization occurs exists in the second half of life. Carl Jung
Highly highly recommended. prisrob 08-09-11
My Life So Far (with Bonus Content)
Jane Fonda: Prime Time - Fit & StrongPrime Time: Love, health, sex, fitness, friendship, spirit--making the most of all of your life Overview

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The New Pioneers: Sustainable business success through social innovation and social entrepreneurship Review

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The New Pioneers: Sustainable business success through social innovation and social entrepreneurship ReviewThe subtitle for The New Pioneers is `Sustainable business success through innovation and social entrepreneurship'. So when I picked up the book, I thought it would focus away from the concepts of corporate responsibility and more on the social entrepreneurs who are demonstrating a new way to do business. This did not turn out to be completely true.
Tania Ellis has divided her book into two parts. `New ways, new needs' sets the framework for sustainable business by talking about the existing paradigms and how they are driving a new force for change. The second part - `New needs, new solutions' focuses on the paths to sustainable business, telling the reader about the new approaches that have been adapted and providing a range of example from which to learn.
In part one, Ellis takes the reader through a whole range of material, covering the whole of the current thinking in the sustainable business field. This part of the book is also full of examples of successful big and small businesses and their approach to their work. Ellis talks about corporate responsibility as well, but provides a clear understanding of what social entrepreneurship is, including the different approaches to defining this relatively new concept.
In part two, the author focuses on the changing world and what this means for the traditional CSR community. She outlines the arguments that have been made for Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility, rather than Social Responsibility as well as for Corporate Social Innovation. She also outlines the four Cs of sustainable innovation - clear purpose, corporate engagement, collaborative co-creation and clear communication.
Perhaps the one negative point of the book is that it is rooted in the present. If a reader picks it up in 3-4 years, he or she may be hard pressed to set the context and remember the details of the financial crisis and other current events to which the author often refers.
All in all, The New Pioneers is an excellent first book to read if you're relatively new to the idea of sustainable business and social entrepreneurship. It's also great to read as a repository for real-world examples of innovative business practices. You can also get a taste of what the book holds by looking at the author's website and blog - [...]
Reviewed by: Nazareth Seferian, CSR International
This review was originally published at [...]The New Pioneers: Sustainable business success through social innovation and social entrepreneurship Overview

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The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook: How to Start, Build, and Run a Business That Improves the World Review

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The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook: How to Start, Build, and Run a Business That Improves the World ReviewNon- profit organizations number in the thousands and while some of them have become quite large and powerful, each started with an individual or a group of people who had a vision. Many people presently have charitable visions and dream of starting a non- profit, but are not sure what to do or where to begin. This is where the Social Entrepreneur's Handbook may be able to help. Written by the CEO of FINCA International, this book is a resource guide with helpful hints and tips that cover everything from the initial setup to hiring to fund raising and beyond.
I have entertained the thought of starting and running a non- profit organization, but I was often uncertain and had dozens of questions that needed answers before I would consider taking the plunge. And now that I have read this book, I have a better understanding and respect for what the employees of a non- profit organization go through each day as they seek out donors, hire new employees, balance their books, and abide by their organization's charitable mission. The book covers most of the setup and operational process involved in running a non- profit and it lets the reader know exactly what to expect if he/she decides to try to turn a non- profit dream into reality. What I find most helpful about this book isn't just its usefulness as a non- profit setup guide, I also like that most of what it recommends can be applied to most any business. The section on hiring was especially useful because I can relate completely to some of the characterizations of employees that the book talks about. The "Destroyer" and the "Chief Destruction Officer"- two employee types talked about in the book- remind me of some of the people I worked with at my last job. I also like what the book says about interviewing and evaluating employees because this, too, can be applied to any organization.
With a title like The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook, this may seem like another boring management guide, but it is actually quite entertaining as well as informative. The author didn't write this book in the dry, often monotone style so common with most books in the management genre. Rather, he wrote the book in a very lightened- up way, with small doses of humor on most every page. Readers will chuckle many times as they come across some of the author's funny descriptions of everyday people and ordinary actions and they will appreciate how the author was able to take what many would consider a dry, boring subject and make it more enjoyable.
Starting a successful non- profit organization is no picnic, but The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook is a very useful guide to the non- profit establishment process and it is a book I am glad I took the time to read. I still don't think a non- profit organization is in my own future, but if you are one of those who aspires to a self- employed life of charity, then The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook could be just the book you need. It walks you through the process one step at a time, explaining how to create and establish a success non- profit organization and enjoy the high level of satisfaction that results from operating a business focused on charity rather than profits.
The Social Entrepreneur's Handbook: How to Start, Build, and Run a Business That Improves the World Overview

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