By Laura Benedict
On March 5th and 6th, SEISA’s e-board attended the Social Enterprise Conference hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School. Guided by the theme “Truths and Dares,” the weekend sought to spark truthful dialogue evaluating the social enterprise movement to date- its successes, shortcomings, and opportunities to include stakeholders who should be at the table. Here’s a key trend to keep an eye on:
The rise of Big Data has brought about a revolution in the way we approach and solve complex problems in every discipline it touches. While it’s more commonly thought of as a tool in marketing and recently, political campaigns, Big Data is a key tool in Mayor Marty Walsh’s strategy to make Boston the most innovative and efficient city in America. Big Data is currently applied as part of the Mayor’s initiative across various fields- from crime and veteran homelessness to Wi-Fi availability, traffic control, and the gender/ethnicity ratios of city employees. For example, there is constant monitoring of the fill level of all city garbage cans so that they can be emptied at the most efficient time given traffic and location in reference to cans that will be full soon.
The best part about the Mayor’s use of Big Data is that metrics are available to everyone at any time, particularly the current CityScore: a single number that aggregates key metrics from various fields to indicate the overall health of the city. In fact, the Mayor has a huge live display of CityScore metrics in his office and is constantly presented with updated statistics. During his presentation, Chief of Staff Daniel Arrigg Koh described the Mayor’s enthusiasm for the program, such that he regularly disrupts meetings and demands action when the screen displays a low CityScore submetric. Check out the live CityScore here.
Therefore, the application of Big Data and private-public partnerships through the creation of data collection tools is driving government innovation. While we already know the importance of impact analysis and evaluation in running a successful social enterprise, data and analytics are becoming a hallmark of 21st century governance as well. As more stakeholders embrace the “truth” of Big Data and “dare” to respond to the reality it reveals, we can collaborate to address the root causes of social issues together. Take advantage of learning about statistics and data analysis as students to capitalize on the rising trend of Big Data as a tool for social change in both the private and public sectors.
