Transcript for The Citizen Sector Transformed

'In greater and greater numbers, citizens' groups the world over

are using entrepreneurial vision and skills

to solve some of the world's most difficult problems.'

BILL DRAYTON: We've gone from 5,000 to over a million in Brazil in 20 years.

In the US we went from 464,000 in 1990 to 1.1 million a dozen years later.

'Bill Drayton is the founder of Ashoka, innovators for the public,

a global organisation that stands at the vanguard of the emerging citizen sector.

In this program he describes the sector's rapid rise

and its profound implications for everyone.'

The companies that get this are going to have a huge competitive advantage.

Those that fall behind are just going to be blindsided.

'He shows how business people, social activists, teachers and students

can become part of this powerful new movement for social good.'

Once in a very rare while in history there is a fundamental pattern change.

We're in the middle of one of those changes right now,

and that's what Ashoka is here to serve.

To understand it, one has to go back in history a little.

Rome to 1700, no growth in per capita income.

Then in the next century, 20%, the next century, 200%,

and the last century, 740% growth in per capita income in the West.

Business took off around 1700, with a new architecture.

Radical change - anyone could start a new idea.

They would gain market share if they succeeded, respect, money.

Other people would copy them. A positive dynamic got underway.

Business became entrepreneurial and competitive.

That set in motion a compounding process of productivity growth.

This didn't happen in the social sector.

The money came through taxes, paid for the canals, schools, welfare system.

Too easy. No pressure for change.

Moreover, the money came through government,

a series of monopolies,

and no monopoly in any sector can tolerate competition, because they lose.

We didn't make the same transformation that the business half of society did.

Business compounded productivity, we remained static, we fell behind.

We are now at the midpoint of an incredibly quick catch-up transformation of the citizen half.

The last two and a half decades, all across the world, pretty much,

the sector has flipped to the same entrepreneurial, competitive architecture that business has.

As a result, we've been gaining productivity very fast.

As in business, if you have a better idea, you will gain attention, resources, better people will come,

you'll be better placed in the public decision-making process,

you and your organisation will move ahead.