Real Difference T for Social Change Disruptive

he United States spends more money per capita on health care than any other nation, and it offers some of the most sophisticated care in the world. Yet it lags behind many less affluent countries on basic health indicators such as infant mortality and life expectancy rates. Similarly, the United States ranks second only to Norway among OECD countries in per-student spending on education, yet it comes in 24th out of 29 on the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment mathematical literacy test. This pattern of aggressive spending and disappointing returns in the social sector isn’t limited to the United States, of course. Throughout the world, affluent nations, institutions, and individuals generously fund social services that fail to fully deliver on their promise. What accounts for this poor showing? It’s not a lack of solutions but rather misdirected investment. Too much of the money available to address social needs is used to maintain the status quo, because it is given to organizations that are