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The Social Economy Initiative (SEI)

  • The Social Economy Initiative
  • 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day.
  • 25% of homeless youth have engaged in prostitution
  • 14% - the child poverty rate in 2007.
  • 30% of Quebecers still enter adulthood without a high school or vocational
  • 1 in 6 people in the world is undernourished.
  • Nearly 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water
  • There are 250,000 child soldiers in the world today
  • Up to 10% of elderly Canadians experience abuse
  • Nearly 500 species have been identified as endangered in Canada

The Social Economy Initiative (SEI) is an important vehicle through which the Desautels Faculty of Management integrates social entrepreneurship and social innovation more formally into its teaching, research and outreach activities.

Across the globe, social entrepreneurs are applying innovative approaches to addressing social problems that have not been satisfactorily addressed by the public or private sectors.

The outcome is social value creation, social impact and social change.

The SEI is an undertaking of the Marcel Desautels Institute for Integrated Management (MDIIM). The Institute's mandate is to foster an integrated approach to management - one that breaks down disciplinary barriers, embraces multiple perspectives and encourages holistic, context-sensitive thinking about organizations and the economy.

SEI goals:

  1. To prepare a dynamic workforce to lead and serve organizations within the social economy by providing a world-class education.

  2. To conduct leading-edge research into the social economy for the purpose of actionable knowledge.

  3. To provide catalyzing experiential learning opportunities outside the classroom for our students by engaging with individuals and organizations active in the social economy.   

SEI distinguishing features:

  • An integrated management approach for social economy teaching, research and outreach
  • Innovation within and across all sectors
  • An emphasis on impact

The SEI is generously supported by the Peter and Joan Monk Endowment for Entrepreneurship and the KPMG Social Economy Fund.

The SEI has enormous potential for growth and significance within the Desautels Faculty of Management. To learn more about our plans, please read our Case for support.

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Areas of Research and Teaching

Global Strategy + Leadership at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGillInvestment + Risk Management at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGillMarketing + Entrepreneurship at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGillTechnology + Innovation Management at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGillHealth Care Management at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill

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