Social Value Investing: A Management Framework for Effective Partnerships

Social Value Investing presents a new way to approach some of society's most difficult and intractable challenges. Although many of our world's problems may seem too great and too complex to solve -- inequality, climate change, affordable housing, corruption, healthcare, food insecurity -- solutions to these challenges do exist, and will be found through new partnerships bringing together leaders from the public, private, and philanthropic sectors.

In their new book, Howard W. Buffett and William B. Eimicke present a five-point management framework for developing and measuring the success of such partnerships. Inspired by value investing -- one of history's most successful investment paradigms -- this framework provides tools to maximize collaborative efficiency and positive social impact, so that major public programs can deliver innovative, inclusive, and long-lasting solutions. It also offers practical insights for any private sector CEO, public sector administrator, or nonprofit manager hoping to build successful cross-sector collaborations.

Social Value Investing tells the compelling stories of cross-sector partnerships from around the world -- Central Park and the High Line in New York City, community-led economic development in Afghanistan, and improved public services in cities across Brazil. Drawing on lessons and observations from a broad selection of collaborations, this book combines real life stories with detailed analysis, resulting in a blueprint for effective, sustainable partnerships that serve the public interest. Readers also gain access to original, academic case material and professionally produced video documentaries for every major partnership profiled -- bringing to life the people and stories in a way that few other business or management books have done.

Howard W. Buffett is an associate professor and research scholar at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He served as the executive director of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and coauthored the New York Times best-seller 40 Chances:Finding Hope in a Hungry World (2013). Previously, Buffett oversaw economic stabilization programs in Afghanistan and Iraq for the U.S. Department of Defense. He also served as a policy advisor for the White House Domestic Policy Council, where he coauthored the president's cross-sector partnership strategy.

William B. Eimicke is professor of practice and founding director of the Picker Center for Executive Education at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He previously served as New York City's Deputy Fire Commissioner for Strategic Planning and Policy, as the housing "czar" of New York State, and as a housing policy and management consultant to vice president Al Gore's National Performance Review. He has coauthored four books on topics including effective public management, contracting, sustainability, and management innovation.