What commercial entrepreneurs are to the American economy, social entrepreneurs are to social progress. Social entrepreneurship--the process of creating value by bringing together a unique package of resources to exploit an opportunity in pursuit of high social returns--is critical to American character and quality of life. Leaders in communities, nonprofit organizations, houses of worship, and even government agencies can use the principles of social entrepreneurship to stimulate the power of ideas for social good.

In this panel, Arthur C. Brooks will introduce his new book Social Entrepreneurship: A Modern Approach to Social Venture Creation (Prentice-Hall, 2008), followed by a discussion among scholars actively working to promote social entrepreneurship in practice, policy, and research.