Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism

by Muhammad Yunus
Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism  
published January 7th 2008 by PublicAffairs
binding Hardcover
isbn 1586484931   (isbn13: 9781586484934)
url http://www.publicaffairsbooks....
description The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize outlines his vision for a new business model that combines the power of free markets with the quest for a more hum...more
date added
03-05-07



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 306)



Jenny
07/12/08

bookshelves: nonfiction-read
Read in July, 2008
recommended to Jenny by: Dad
Wow, super cool! Ever since I took econ in high school, my thoughts on capitalism ranged from confused to horrified. I was always disturbed by the dehumanization inherent in the "laws" of economics. I thought it was weird, and I wondered if I was the only person who thought so, since nobody else was saying anything. As I learned more about socialism I figured it was fundamentally flawed too, but I knew for sure capitalism wasn't the answer either. So I never knew what another opti...more
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Josh
Josh rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/30/08

i heard yunus speak last week at the bagdad in portland and found it super inspiring and energizing and began reading this book this week since. the 2006 nobel peace prize winner, figurehead of the global microcredit revolution, global elder with the likes of Nelson Mandela, has a new great category of thought to add to the global development dialogue: social business. what would it look like to develop international businesses which harness the power of the free market not to make profits for...more
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Richard
Richard rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/21/08

This book is one of those your eyes would pass over quickly in a bookstore while your mind also dismisses it as a dreamer's fantasy. But if you know anything about the author, Muhammad Yunus, you might know that he and his Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, not (just) for his writing but for the impact he has had on the lives of poor people in his Bangladesh and in other places in the world, primarily through his concept and implementation of micro lending, micro credit. This is the...more
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Amanda
Amanda rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/23/08

Read in July, 2008
recommended to Amanda by: Muhammad Yunus
recommends it for: everyone.
I don't know much about business or economics, but after reading this book I'm full of hope for the future. Yunus describes his brain child, the social business, and the many potential ways it can be a tool for solving world problems, from poverty, to education and the environment. He even describes how poverty is a threat to world peace, and our resources are better spent on improving the lives of the poor than on more and more guns.

At times while reading this book my eyes would start to gl...more
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Roger
Roger rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
07/20/08

Read in July, 2008
recommends it for: entrepreneurs, dreamers
This is an inspirational book both as the genre and the effect. He paints a vision that would normally be discounted immediately. Knowing this, he speaks our language. I am unabashedly a capitalist, but I too know that there are some problems with the system. Until I read this book, I took these vices as givens, shrugged my shoulders, and said "Shou ga nai" like the fatalistic Japanese.

After reading this book, I feel less so. Perhaps this is because of his prose. Am I not creative?...more
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Nancy
Nancy rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/10/08

bookshelves: my-shelf
Good stuff. This book is all about rejecting economic assumptions -- most especially the one that we'll completely queer capitalism if the focus is anything other than making the biggest pile of money possible at all times. More concretely, Yunus's story is about rejecting the commonsensical idea that poor people are poor credit risks. He's done it -- lent money to those whom had nothing to start, and the repayment of the loans has been nothing short of sky high.

If you have an interest in so...more
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David
David rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
01/16/08

bookshelves: economics, to-read
Read in January, 2008
recommends it for: economists, bankers, politicians, voters
Social Business... providing people with basic resources based entirely upon trust... and finding that they will apply effort, innovate, succeed, repay, and evolve from poverty to effective participants in a thriving economy. What could be better news?

I heard of Yanus breakthrough model many years ago and it seems to be finding encouraging success, especially in the third world.

I heard Yunus speak in Santa Barbara to a standing room only crowd in a theatre of 1200 seats - amazing. Hi...more
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Katherine
Katherine rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
03/29/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in March, 2008
recommended to Katherine by: YNPN Book Club
recommends it for: people in the international development field
I have to admit that I am conflicted with this book for many reasons. I do appreciate his hopefulness and idealism of ending poverty and I would like to follow his optimism. But part of me is not sold on the idea of a social business, and mainly because I don't think the book was written for someone like me. I think it was written to people who can't think outside the capitalist system, is wealthy and are interested in saving the world in a non-grassroots way. However, if he can inspire those we...more
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Cynthia
Cynthia rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/20/08

Read in April, 2008
recommends it for: and and every one
I thought this was an excellent book. I believe that as Muhammad Yunus said poverty is an obstacle to peace. I agree with him that industrialized countries such as the United States should be doing more to aid underdeveloped countries. I also liked his idea of a social business that has as its main objective a social good and not profit. I think many people would like to invest in such a business knowing that they contributed to the common good. I think Yunus was very deserving of the Nobel Pea...more
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Mary.dooms
Read in June, 2008
Interesting idea on how to end poverty. What caught my attention was the author's attempt to change a profit motivated cell phone company into a social business. The company became unexpectedly successful then reneged on its promise to turn itself over as a social business. Yunus says the mistake could have been avoided if the company was originally established as a social business.

He proposes a new stock exchange exclusively for social businesses. Invest in a company that pays no dividends...more
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Real Supergirl
Real Supergirl rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/08/08

bookshelves: nonfiction, philosophy
Read in January, 2008
Excellent book. Yunus is an inspiring man. I know nothing about economics yet I was able to understand this book, and it has helped me clarify for myself what kind of business I would like to run someday - a social business.

Basically, it presents a new model for social services - building organizations that do good work without relying on grants that may or may not be there from year to year, and which have as their chief goal to become self-sustaining. Their goal is to make money, but ...more
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Adam
Adam rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/11/08

Read in February, 2008
Yunus' is a Nobel Peace Prize winner (2006). His book showcases his steps to change poverty begining in India and then throughout the world. The book reads as a “How To” in parts but I like what the author has actually done to change people's lives. A friend of mine worked for a nonprofit organization that gave microcredit loans to women willing to start their own business; the majority were making or cooking and then selling their products.
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Cliff
Cliff rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/11/08

Read in May, 2008
Really interesting perspective on global poverty and a great, high-fallutin' strategy to lead us back on track and through the 21st century. This guy makes Pollyanna sound like Eyeore...pretty unusual for a Nobel-prize winning economist (for Peace, to be fair). Must-read for teens and 20-somethings who haven't yet had their optimism crushed by that rotten, self-serving, son of a ...[content redacted for national security reasons].
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Misty
Misty is currently reading it
01/20/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
Read in January, 2008
Very much looking forward to reading this book. Muhammad Yunus has been something of a hero to me my entire adult life. He came to Santa Barbara to speak, but the seats filled completely (w/ an extra 200 people hoping to see him) so I didn't get to hear him speak :( My instructor even released me from class an hour early to go, but others had camped outside the theater for 2-3 hours before it began. So sad.
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Kathy
Kathy rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
03/01/08

bookshelves: non-fiction
Read in March, 2008
Amazing book about creating "social businesses" from Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus. His ideas for changing the world are fascinating, lots of food for thought on other ways to look at structuring our business world while creating a better society.
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Erin
Erin is currently reading it
01/30/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
Read in January, 2008
I had the privilege of attending an author signing event with Professor Yunus, and was impressed with his gentle spirit and quiet demeanor. His message is simple and yet daunting. We can take the power of businesses and use them for the good of humankind. I can't wait to have time to finish his book.
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Judy
Judy rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
02/28/08

Read in February, 2008
call me a cynic but i had to keep from rolling my eyes in reading this book. muhammad yanus is a reincarnation of mother teresa herself. really innovative (albeit a little naive) ideas of how to eliminate property, and a how-to primer on social business. recommended...with a grain of salt.
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Maureen
Maureen rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
03/29/08

Read in March, 2008
Promoting economic development is a powerful path out of poverty. With the global crisis of economic orphans and intractable poverty continues to explode Yunus provides an elegantly simple and sustainable approach to turning the tide.
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Lorraine
Lorraine rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
03/28/08

Read in March, 2008
This book is so hopeful it would be almost ridiculous, if it weren't for the fact that Yunus' theories are so well-proven in practice that he and the Grameen Bank really HAVE lifted thousands of people out of poverty! Very inspiring!
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John
John rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/06/08

I loved his world view of rosy optimism. its justified with him... having changed the world already. ideally, this book should be read by an entrepreneur with a newly acquired conscience. I don't fit the bill there
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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 4.00 (81 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.96 (75 ratings)
number of reviews: 34






other editions

Creating a World without Poverty: How Social Business Can Transform Our Lives (Audio CD)
Creating a World without Poverty: How Social Business Can Transform Our Lives (CD-ROM)
Vers un monde sans pauvreté : L'autobiographie du (Poche)