An Army of Problem Solvers: Reconciliation and the Solutions Economy

by Shaun Loney

First Nations reconciliation has to include rebuilding local economies. Problem solvers such as social enterprises, social entrepreneurs and the small farm movement are demonstrating we can tackle society's most stubborn problems affordably. How do we reinvent government to make it all happen?

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2016

Reviews

[Carolyn Whitzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book but an intriguing one, Loney focuses on social enterprises employing Indigenous people. He gives examples of small scale farming, renewable energy and low-cost housing upgrades that can engage both rural and urban low-income communities. The book was written in 2016, and sometimes Loney’s worship of fallen idols like Craig Kielburger and Elon Musk, or singing the praises of Uber and AirBNB as disruptive technologies, are jarring. It has that overly simplistic ‘business book’ feel. All that said, the examples he was worked on are inspiring, and I think his critique of rules-bound bureaucracies refusing to work to prevent problems rings true.

[Paul D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting list of projects. Author presents some good concepts and a strong philosophy for empowerment but leans a little too far in claiming simplicity of solutions. Highlights a strong case for aboriginal innovation and entrepreneurship. Successes are real and warrant more reading by a too skeptical "common man"

[Luise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. This should be required reading for decision makers at all levels - shout it from the roof tops! Optimistic, realistic, sustainable, local, long-term thinking - projects that are already happening, in spite of the ever-present ossified bureaucracy getting in the way. Spread the word!

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

# Ch 1

He sees people spend welfare checks on expensive junk food. But in that he also sees competition. He calls it the "upside of down" that because people are spending all their money on one thing there is room to disrupt.

Author cofounded the social enterprise Aki Energy

The Social Enterprise Centre houses many good organizations

# Ch 2

Solutions economy is about solving social/environmental problems with market forces

Social enterprise - non profit that's self funded

Social entrepreneur - profit seeking but also focused on social issues (idk about this one)

Gov has a place but it's not to fix everything

# Ch 3

"Residential" schools in Canada are awful for First Nations people

First Nations students are sent there and not treated well

Author describes history and challenges First Nations people have faced

# Ch 4

No food to buy in one of the First Nations areas he visited. Even with a pocket full of cash.

Lets of diabetes plague First Nations people

Author started a social enterprise farm

Author says employed people tend to be happy and healthy

Gov should be helping the problem solvers

# Ch 5

The gov won't help fund geothermal energy for new houses even though it would help the poor.

Gov should be working with problem solvers not blocking them.

# Ch 6

For profit food by giant corporations has perverse incentives (aka they try to make money not just feed everyone)

As much as 90% of the cost of food is from energy

What if we required schools and hospitals to buy local food? It would have some higher upfront costs but would greatly help the community.

Summary: If goal was people over profit then food production would look very different.

# Ch 7

BUILD is a Winnipeg social enterprise that provides on the job training.

Described how The legal system spends millions on repeat offenders without helping them much.

Government could get first dibs on procurement contracts to social enterprises

Low income families rent and have high utility bills. They can't take advantage of subsidy to install energy efficient toilet b/c they don't own the toilet and the landlord has no incentive to let them.

# Ch 8

Some examples of social entrepreneurs and talk about Ashoka foundation

# Ch 9

Think long term to solve problems, GDP is short term

GPI - Genuine Progress Indicator is an alternative

# Ch 10

M-KOPA installs cheap solar in Kenya

Kiva - empowers people to give loans to those in need

Complementary currencies (aka local currency) ensue money stays in economy 

Brazilian city Curitiba offered free bus tokens for picking up trash

"Garden Hills Bucks" could be possible and author describes how it could be used for First Nations

# Ch 11

The gov throws money at problems rather than problem solvers. Basically saying they often address symptoms rather than causes.

Author is a big fan of the pay-as-you-save model of funding things like new toilets or heating systems

"The future of philanthropy is social enterprise"

More government doesn't really mean more problems solved but more social enterprises does

# Ch 13

In favor of $15 min wage

80% of minimum wage earners in Manitoba are over 20 years old

Minimum wage earners generally not in manufacturing so jobs don't just "go to China"

# Ch 14

Left and Right can agree on social enterprises being good

# Conclusion

Lets create solutions

# My thoughts

I liked the book a lot. It wasn't perfectly written or organized but it really got me thinking about the role of markets. It's interesting that the author advocates for them so heavily despite that they clearly don't solve things on their own. We live in a world where the profit is seen as so important and it's not clear how to change that. The author thinks problems can be fixed by social enterprises which are basically nonprofits that self fund. But it's not super clear to me how we encourage people to start and run them. I guess that's why he wrote this book. It's also a bit of a hard pill to swallow to accept that maybe to have a big impact you shouldn't be at a big org but rather solving things on a local level.

[Cath Ennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Yet the subsidies go elsewhere, and the policies create obstacles"

This book is about seeing solutions instead of problems in the areas of energy and food production, the cost of housing and utilities, employment, and more. In many ways it is the most hopeful and uplifting book I've read in a long time (I've been in a phase of reading too many climate-centric books, both fiction and non-fiction); the examples the author uses are so creative and are making a real difference for many people. However, it's also frustrating to read about the ways in which outdated government policies and practices are creating obstacles, for example by focusing government subsidies and contracts on large businesses rather than local endeavours that create local jobs, keep the money in the community, and reduce health costs and greenhouse gas emissions, or by not allowing First Nations and other community groups to generate and sell their own clean energy from local small-scale geothermal and solar operations. I hope policy makers are reading the author's suggestions for how they can get out of the way and create a landscape in which problem solvers can thrive.

The reason I'm giving this book 4 stars rather than 5 is that the author extols the benefits of businesses like Uber and AirBnB (and also of Elon Musk, lol) without mentioning any of their downsides or unintended consequences on workers' rights, housing affordability, etc. The book was published in 2016 so it gets a bit of a pass there, but I feel like I've been reading/hearing critiques of Uber and AirBnB since well before then. This uncritical praise is part of a very short chapter that's quite separate from the meat of the book, but it makes me think that the author might also have rose-tinted glasses when outlining the benefits of some of the smaller-scale initiatives that are included in the book. Might they also have unintended negative consequences? It's really not clear from this book. I enjoyed the positive tone, but I think a more critical lens is needed before the paradigm shift the author promotes can be realised.

[Nabeel Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this if you want to understand how to 'make a difference' or 'do good' and not reproduce the myriad failings of the charitable and nonprofit sector. You can do better than just donate to a charity, of course; you can also do better than support the first cool-sounding alternative you come across.

Shaun Loney is someone who knows the difference, and his great achievement here is in producing a short, highly readable and accessible volume that will give you a flavor of the social economy that not just could be, but already is. It's a great introduction to progressive socially-focused initiatives, mostly focused around social enterprise and social innovation (both concepts that I have long been a fan, and then also a vociferous critic, of).

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book has a distinctly Manitoba and Indigenous perspective, I highly recommend it for anyone interested in meaningful social change. From local cooperatives to reducing incarceration to minimum income and minimum wage discussions. It is full of good ideas and practical on-the-ground examples.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Shaun speak at a homelessness summit and picked up his book. Basically everyone interested in public policy or social issues should read this. If more people thought like this we could do such amazing things. I'd probably work myself out of a job, and that would be great 😊

[Selina Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional!! Every government employee needs to read this. Government needs to support the solutions economy vs. perpetuating colonial control. Social enterprise offers so many options for creating community prosperity.

[Barbara Brydges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars not because I found this a riveting read, because I didn’t, but because Shaun Loney has accomplished so much in the area of social enterprise, working with Indigenous groups to creating solutions to problems from the ground-up, rather than from the top down.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare that a book changes the way you think. Now, as I approach issues, whether political or personal, I now try to view them, not as problems, but as opportunities!

[Patrick Flood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible and Inspiring story of using market forces for good.

[Kay Fur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I HIGHLY recommend this book! It's a refreshingly realistic take on how to tackle some of society's most daunting issues such as poverty and food security while contributing to the healing of wounds left by colonialism. This is one of the best books I have ever read and Mr. Loney has inspired me to write about seeing the "upside of down" (with regards to community renewable energy) for my MBA research project. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and I look forward to his next book!

[Firas Alameddine]

Excellent book. Talks about real problems and solid plans to tackle complex socio-economic problems in Canada. Very interesting how the solutions proposed can be implemented despite how complex the system is run.