In this phase of the podcast we are talking about moral agents, people who stand against the grain of orthodox thinking.
Sascha Haselmayer set out to write a book about quick fixes but came to the conclusion that social change takes time.
He got to that conclusion by talking to moral agents around the world. Many of them call themselves social entrepreneurs. Listening to Sascha’s descriptions, they often sound like community organisers or social pedagogues.
Their designation doesn’t matter. Sascha is telling us something about the roots of civil society led change, about how ideas emerge and develop outside of organisations, and before they get the backing of philanthropy or social investors. And decades ahead of any state involvement.
Sascha’s book is called The Slow Lane: Why Quick Fixes Fail and How to Achieve Real Change, and is available from good book shops.
In his reflection on Sascha’s work, Pritpal S. Tamber referred to this article by Angela Glover Blackwell about the Curb Cut Effect in the Standford Social Innovation Review. She shows how laws and programmes designed to benefit marginalised groups end up benefiting all of society.
The conversation between Michael and Pritpal in the postscript reflects their views.
Ratio Talks is available on Substack, on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Get in touch with us any time by sending an email to hello@ratio.org.uk.
Ratio Talks is produced with the help of sound designer Nik Paget-Tomlinson and creative director Richard De Angelis. The show’s theme song is by Luca Picardi.
Sascha Haselmayer is in the Slow Lane