THE SLOW LANE: MOVEMENTS FOR SOCIAL PROGRESS
Abstract The author, a seasoned social entrepreneur who is based in Berlin and works for Ashoka Innovators for the Public, writes about his concept of the Slow Lane, and how it contrasts with quick fixes, which he feels mostly do not work and can be destructive. He points to slow lane effectiveness...
| Published in: | Leader to Leader |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ltl.20713 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ltl.20713 |
| Summary: | Abstract The author, a seasoned social entrepreneur who is based in Berlin and works for Ashoka Innovators for the Public, writes about his concept of the Slow Lane, and how it contrasts with quick fixes, which he feels mostly do not work and can be destructive. He points to slow lane effectiveness in the wake of the 2007–2008 global financial crisis, and the subsequent strength of decisions taken by the Spanish government. He also describes the slow lane economic triumphs of Iceland. “Slowing down to listen,” he writes, “helped Iceland not only lower the pain for citizens, but it also delivered a much faster recovery. I like to think of this as the dividend of slowness .” There are also smaller examples, such as the nonprofit User Voice at “Pentonville Prison, a notorious prison in London.” The organization “brings ex‐offenders into prisons, to find out what prisoners really need.” The author delineates five slow lane principles, which in his words are 1. Hold the urgency; 2. Listen; 3. Share the agency; 4. Nurture curiosity; 5. Use technology as an enabler. He concludes that the slow lane is “a space of creativity, activism, and entrepreneurship that serves as our repository of social imagination.” |
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