School of Social Impact

Human rights are often described as the basic freedoms and protections we have simply because we are human. It sounds straightforward. But once you scratch the surface, the idea raises a series of complex questions: Where do these rights come from? Are they moral truths, legal constructs, or political agreements? Who enforces them? And what […]

Across Iran, renewed uprisings have unfolded amid deepening economic crisis, intensifying repression, and a marked escalation in executions. What has drawn sustained international attention, however, is not only the scale of protest, but its persistence, coordination, and clarity of purpose over time. As explored in a recent episode of Changemaker Q&A, these dynamics offer important

When people talk about social change, policy is often the first thing that comes to mind. Laws are passed. Programs are funded. Strategies are announced. These moments feel concrete and decisive, which makes policy an attractive focal point for anyone trying to improve society. Yet policy is not synonymous with change. It is one pathway

A recent Changing Times podcast conversation examined a problem increasingly described in public health and social policy as a “loneliness” or “social connection” crisis: the erosion of everyday, face-to-face relationships and the difficulty many adults report in forming and sustaining friendships after early adulthood. In the episode, the guest, Gabor, positioned repeated relocation and work-driven

Across the social change sector, people are often motivated by strong values, moral clarity, and a deep commitment to justice. These commitments are not incidental. They are foundational to why people enter activism, development, policy, humanitarian work, or systems change in the first place. Yet one of the most confronting realities of this work is

Across contemporary workplaces, leadership cultures, and social movements, there remains a persistent assumption that confidence, influence, and effectiveness are best expressed through extroversion. Loud voices, rapid responses, constant networking, and high visibility are frequently rewarded, while quieter forms of contribution are often overlooked. Yet this bias obscures the significant strengths that introverted individuals bring to

Business is often discussed as though it were a neutral tool—an economic mechanism that can be directed toward good or ill depending on the intentions of those who control it. In contemporary debates about social change, business is increasingly positioned as a solution to complex social and ecological crises, particularly in contexts where governments appear

In the contemporary United States, access to abortion is shaped not only by clinical availability but by geography, logistics, and legal risk. Following major legal shifts that have allowed individual states to severely restrict abortion, increasing numbers of people are required to travel across state borders to access reproductive healthcare. Travel has therefore become a

Across climate breakdown, democratic erosion, deepening inequality, and institutional distrust, changemakers are operating in conditions of heightened urgency and complexity. In these contexts, values are often treated as peripheral—reduced to aspirational statements that sit alongside strategy documents rather than actively shaping practice. Yet it is precisely under pressure that values matter most. They are not

What a geriatrician wants us to understand about rights-based healthcare, caregiving, and the future of ageing well. In this episode, I spoke with Dr Warren Wong, a geriatrician whose career has been shaped by two intersecting commitments: a lifelong “social mindset” grounded in the idea that healthcare is a right, and a practical dedication to