On Thursday, amid a standing room only crowd of Columbia MBAs, author David Bornstein shared stories from his recent book, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas. Bornstein says that as a journalist he was taught that news could be defined as "destabilizing information." He has since dedicated himself to reporting on "creative destruction" - the work of people who challenge the status quo, people who possess "an indomitable will to propel the innovations society needs to tackle its toughest problems." For the past five years, Bornstein has been traveling the world documenting the achievements of ordinary people who have applied financial, management and marketing skills to problems around them and created markets for change. The accounts are part of an explosion in what he terms the "Civic Sector," independent entrepreneurial organizations addressing issues that private industry, government and non-profit entities are ignoring or addressing badly. He attributes the recent surge in social entrepreneurship to the spread of communication technologies, government trends toward democracy, strides in women's rights, surplus wealth and improved education worldwide. From the development of microlending institutions, to the establishment of electric utilities and rural healthcare systems, he shared inspiring stories of people who relentlessly pursued their visions of fixing broken social and economic systems. Social entrepreneurship, Bornstein said, is the convergence of professional interests and personal beliefs. It is about innovation and action.