(Photo from Solar Views)

Before I get to the links to books and publications, please remember to vote in the Audeamus Social Entrepreneur Awards Round #3. We don't have any voters yet.

Now to the great reads ...

*In publications, see this paper from IESE Publishing on CSR as Cultural Exchange. You do have to purchase it, but here's the abstract:

The Reinhard Mohn Fellowship is an initiative of Bertelsmann AG. It reflects Bertelsmann's ongoing commitment to fostering social, cultural and individual development by aiming to reward and sponsor people with leadership qualities who have demonstrated enterprise, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. It provides for up to five social entrepreneurs from all over the world to be selected from a group of applicants to undertake a one year program offering them the opportunity to experience corporate culture, work on projects in various divisions and build networks within Bertelsmann's global group of media companies. The idea behind the initiative is not only to provide a unique opportunity to socially innovative young entrepreneurs but also to allow the company to benefit from their contrasting points of view and differing sets of experiences. The case aims at stimulating students to think about innovative ways in which companies can contribute to society. It also allows for a discussion of the process of gaining and keeping momentum for social initiatives within large companies. Questions which might be posed include: who benefits from the initiative? Is the program a success? Can its impact be measured? And, above all, can it be replicated or provide a role model for other companies? In particular, the case allows for an interesting discussion on corporate responsibility initiatives in privately held companies.

*When Good Corporations Go Bad, by Erik Assadourian in pdf at World Watch Magazine, as well as a number of other stories to download.

*Jerr Boschee's Social Enterprise Sourcebook contains journalistic profiles of 14 nonprofits that have successfully started social sector businesses. You can download free chapters at the Institute for Social Entrepreneurs.

*But what is social entrepreneurship? Find out at the Canadian Centre for Social Entrepreneurship where you can also download an entire literature review on social entrepreneurship in the Canadian context.

*Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy by Stanford University economist and Mercatus Center distinguished scholar Avner Greif, looks like an interesting read.

*One of our readers suggested this book, China's Global Reach: Markets, Multinationals, and Globalization by George Zhibin Gu.

*The Missing Link: Social Entrepreneurs as the Private-Nonprofit Bridge from Geoffrey See Kok Heng's presentation to the World Bank over at Oikono.

*Power Point presentations from the Global Private Equity Conference in Washington, D.C. last week are available at NextBillion.

*A critical view of global philanthropy at CounterPunch by Joan Roelofs, called The NED, NGOs and the Imperial Uses of Philanthropy.

*At the New York Times, Charity Begins at Home, but Must It Stay There?
by John J. Miller.

*Not a book, but news that publisher Random House has set a recycling goal for itself. From Credo Advisors, via the New York Times.

In other random news ...

*Progressive online Social Networking Community 'Care2' opens Washington, DC office.

*The World Economic Forum is in Eqypt this weekend. Why Eqypt is hot.

*Not far away, continued trouble in Darfur.

*If you're near Georgia, on Wednesday, May 24 CSRwire and Business Wire to Co-Host Atlanta Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility.

*Register now for GreenWeek in Brussels. Starts May 30th.