I spent the last week at the Arizona State University, hosted by the School of Sustainability.

It was refreshing to spend a week just thinking big and long-term with like-minded  people who don’t do “little”.

Practitioners tend to rush from one task to the other one and attend too many conferences that are just good for networking. Radical thinking is rare. They normally have too much on the plate and not enough time to think about the bigger picture.

Instead you need to pose and ponder if what you do makes sense or if you need to change direction.

Moreover, an emerging industry such as social innovation and entrepreneurship needs to be framed within a broader vision: underpinned by data, understood within existing macroeconomic theories to justify its added value for the whole society. Even when you challenge the system you need to understand it. We can’t rely only on lofty values and feel-good stories.

When, a few months ago, I accepted the invitation of Prof Sander van der Leeuw (first picture), Dean of the School of Sustainability at ASU and UN Champion of the Earth 2012, I did not realise the need to take this pause. I met him thank to the European research projects in which I ended up by chance (INSITE and MD). Fortunately Sander persuaded me to fly over for a week and get to know each other. Prof Carlo Jaeger (second picture), world expert on climate and economy, was his accomplice in the operation.

The two academics are building a global network of world top researchers from natural and human sciences to develop what they call the Global Systems Science (GSS) – a new vision to understand the 21st century. Given the various crises we are going through, the plan seems valuable.

However, this is not an endeavor for egg-heads secluded in an ivory tower. The guys are convinced that they need people like me to engage the broader public and create a shared vision across borders and boundaries.

Thanks to my relentless activity in building networks, I’ve been enrolled to connect science and society. I like the task. It reconnects me to my first university studies in philosophers and my heroes at the time: Plato, Machiavelli and Nietzsche.

So, after nine years of frenetic London pace, I flew to Arizona for a week of co-thinking as Walton fellow.  Walton is the family that owns Wall-Mart. They have donated several millions to the school to develop a cutting edge programme on sustainability in the 21st century, involving smart guys from across the world. A nice start for my first appearance on the scientific scene.

I’ll spare you all the other details. You just need to know that I’m working on a chapter on narratives to engage stakeholders for the EU funded Orientation Paper of GSS and a session on the same topic for the next GSS conference (Brussels, 11 – 12 June).

I will post the draft on line for comments. If you are interested and would like more details, give me a shout.

Travelling across France and Italy reveals something reminiscent of the nature of the cancer: Europe is afraid of a globalising world that neither dominates nor understands anymore, and seeks refuge in a comfortable past. Everything is OK if we shut down from the rest of the world.

What does this have to do with Roberspierre? Maximilien de Robespierre is the symbol of modern revolutions and the end of the status quo at any cost. He did not refrain from sending a hundred thousand people to the guillotine to build a new country. He’s a founding father of modern State and ultimately Europe (although the most sensitive readers would not admit).

However, Robespierre has turned into the champion of the Ancien Regime today protecting the status quo and its beneficiaries ie the sacred cows, at the expenses of innovators ie the black swan.

What shall we do to save Europe and give a future to Europeans? We need to make a U-turn: slaughter the sacred cows, not the black swan.

For the last 2 weeks, I’ve been on the road. I started with Paris to attend Impact2 and reconnect with French partners. I then travelled to Marseille to attend the Anna Lindt Foundation’s Forum on civil society in the Mediterranean. From Marseille I flow to Rome for the first meeting of the Italian members of Commissioner Barnier’s expert group on social entrepreneurship, convened by an unusually enterprising director of the Italian Ministry of Labour, Danilo Giovanni Festa. I also took the opportunity to refresh my contacts in the Vatican where a wind of change has followed the election of the new Pope Francis 1. I ended my expedition in Southern Europe toVenice, where I attended a workshop of Emergence by Design, a European project piloting a new method to measure social impact. It’s based on mapping relationships generated by projects not economic outputs.

I can’t go into details for every step or you will fall asleep. But it’s worthwhile to pinpoint some facts.

I got the first hint in Paris as the French Minister for social economy – Benoît Hamon – clashed with the expectations of 800 delegates at Impact 2. While the Minister was busy attacking this and that as a sort of neo-Bolshevik, the participants wanted to understand whether there are real opportunities for a cohesive and inclusive growth and job in the impact economy.

Why wasn’t the Minister able to support his voters in finding their ways? The organisers did better offering champagne to everybody: whoever does good deserves first class treatment.

In Marseille my views about EU demise were confirmed: over 1300 delegates from across the Mediterranean gathered without a sense of purpose. A gigantic waste of time and money – everybody was paid to attend including myself. The whole organisation was more than old-fashion and dated. It was stupid:  endless uncoordinated speeches but no overall goals, no Arabic translation, no facilitation… and a president who was an advisor of a former tyrant and now has been recycled as champion of democracy and human rights. Is this a return on investment?

Rome struck me for the contrast between the Vatican and the rest of the country. The election of the new Pope brought a sense of hope and renewal even in one of the most ancient institutions in the world. I would compare this election to that of Obama, as symbols of a new emerging world. On the other hand, Italy is stuck in its past and not able to emerge despite the goodwill and efforts of individuals like Danilo and may others inside and outside the institutions. What’s wrong with democracy today if this is the culprit?

In Venice, I found another group of people working to develop adequate tools to respond to the challenge of the 21^st century. Their work is even visionary but the public institutions don’t understand the added value. When I proposed this pilot for the subgroup on social impact assessment of the European Commission it was refused. Instead, pretty mainstream stuff was selected.

What’s my conclusion? Roberpierre, change course or you will lose your head again. We will cut it!

‘Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit’.

This is the quote from the Gospel (St John 12:24) Dostoevsky chose for the incipit of The Brothers Karamazov. It’s one of my favorite quotes as well.

Death is the beginning of new life as life ends in death. Don’t be afraid of this simple truth but embrace it.

Easter is a story that reveals this truth but you come across it every day. Today I found it reading The Great Convergence by Kishore Mahbubani, in a online interview with Christian Busch, co-founder of Sandbox.

When I fell dry and disillusioned I let death take over me to reborn with hope and new ideas.

The Resistance, the popular armed movement for the liberation from Nazi-Fascism, is the founding myth of the Italian Republic. Almost all Italian political leaders after WW2 had been partisans or supported the resistance although they lived abroad as dissidents. Italians united for once in their long history of factions and divisions.

Hopefully not so far in the future we will remember Francesco Profumo (Minister of Education and Innovation in the Monti Government 2012 – 13) as one of the first leaders of  the second resistance that turned the tide of recession, austerity and general despair into a new Renaissance.

Despite the crisis he has been championing reforms and public investments especially for young people from the beginning. On Thursday he presented the results of a year of work: La via Italiana alla social innovation.

I was there as a foreign guest speaker and it was an unique experience. For the first time in my life I agreed with the vision of an Italian politician. I was happy to be reunited to my folk.

Making the comparison to WW2 I expose myself too all sorts of criticism. Besides that you know I’m not afraid of the front-line I believe that what we are leaving across Europe and in Italy in particular is comparable to the tsunami that people had to go through during in ’30s – ’40s. That German Government is far from being comparable to Nazism and Italian political elite has little to do with Fascism is not in doubt. However their combined action is bringing Italian society and the whole of Europe in disarray.

Cyprus is the most recent but not the last in the list of causalities in the transformation of European liberal democracies. The system built after WW2 is untenable and needs a radical overhaul. But the political elite seems meddling through with not plan for a 21st century Europe instead of leading the ship through the storm.

People can accept the harshest sacrifices but need to know that the light expects them on the other side. There is no future without hope. And hope it’s not what leaders are able to give anymore.

Profumo, instead, has brought light in the darkness. Perhaps is just a candle but he started a reform agenda to invest for the future.

He innovated in the methodology to start appointing a taskforce – Prof Mario Calderini and 6  young professionals selected for their personal merits through an open competition – to design an ‘innovative’ innovation agenda. The agenda is based on forms of innovation developed by and for society and is inspired by good practice from across the world: impact investing, crowdfunding, social impact, online engagement, clustering and acceleration, Big Data, prize challenges etc.

Then he put money where his mouth was investing over €70m in social innovation projects of which €25m just for young people under 30s.

He even fostered change in the culture of the Italian civil service to put the citizen at the centre of public policy. Fabrizio Cobis, mandarin of the Ministry, emotionally confessed at the launch: ‘Working with these people on the social innovation agenda has changed my vision on the relationship between public institutions and citizens. We can’t go back anymore’.

Now the baton passes to the new government but the tide has turned. Bravo Francesco!

After 6 years of daily news on declining economic performance and even gloomier forecasts of the future do we wonder why people are fed up and disillusioned, demonstrating in the streets of European capitals?

Without hope of keeping falling material standards in check, life becomes unbearable and social conflict might return. Shopping is not affordable anymore and society has to resort to sustainable solutions to give direction to people.

I was ruminating on these ideas when I end up watching Django Unchained, the last film of Tarantino. I bought a ticket for Les Miserables but entered another room.

Django is a black slave who becomes a cowboy hero slaughtering whites in southern American. Lincoln or Amazing Grace are feel-good films for white progressive folk, but Django is what a Black crowd needs to feel good and proud. It is just fiction but it’s a good story to energise people who have been portrayed as losers for the last 3 centuries.

It’s not a coincidence that this week I organised a seminar on narratives for scientists, with Lucas, the European Commission and an international group of researchers working on Global Systems Science. We explored how stories are the key to getting people engaged in science and changing behaviour. Data in itself has never excited anybody other than experts.

Since the dawn of humanity we humans have told stories of heroes to keep together and energise the community. The paint in Lascaux cave must be the first one in history – although Darren is wigging about African and aboriginal stories that I’m glossing over.

As the Greeks were exploring nature they also theorised about poetics – this is what they called the theory on good stories. This is actually what I specialised in when I studied philosophy at University.

Leaders have always generously paid artists, poets and writers to tell good stories. Stories helped them to keep their subjects together, obedient and focused. Fortunately power needs good stories otherwise Italian cultural heritage such Uffizi collection and Sistina Chapel would not exist.

However, policymakers must have forgotten the lesson in the recent years. After the Third Way died in the War of Iraq the only concern of governments has become the economy. The focus is on the income of citizens, forgetting people need more than material nurturing.

People need to believe in a better future – and perhaps a bit of blood to get excited. The jubilee around the election of the new Pope proves the first part of the sentence, Django the second one.

Unfortunately Brussels, as most of Western political elite, is not able to excite people anymore, nor deliver material wealth. Economic data don’t make any difference for the general mood. This is the sense of pervasive malaise that you find in Brussels. I found comfort only at the cinema.

Aliens who have online media as their only source of info must assume that Southern Europe is doomed: sovereign debt, economic stagnation, rocketing unemployment, high taxes combined with generalized tax evasion. No light at the end the tunnel – only the Germans to keep the situation under control with the help of the EU and IMF.

But today those aliens have to change their mind. Even Southern Europe can generate successful stories, such as the Basque case. After decades of conflict, terrorism and economic stagnation 30 years ago, the Basque country found its stride and its course and embraced a balanced development model which combines innovation, solidarity, and sustainability built on the respect of its unique cultural identity.

When in the ’90s  most of the Western countries dismantled their manufacturing industries, the Basques reconverted theirs. They didn’t follow the guidelines of economists and financial advisers, instead paving their own way like stubborn, proud pirates.

They invested in the capabilities of people, developed a knowledge economy from scratch, and celebrated the new era convincing the Americans to bring the Guggenheim Museum to Bilbao.

The Basque country is one of the wealthiest regions in Europe. Despite the crisis it is not only able to keep its exports high and unemployment well below the average for the rest of the country. But it’s even investing to get the most out of globalisation.

Besides opening new public libraries, today the Agirre Lehendakaria Center for Political and  Social Studies was launched as a joint venture between the Basque, Columbia and Mason Universities and funded by the main Basque bank and high-tech company.

The center is the brain child of Juan-José Ibarretxe (the guy in the picture) former president of the Regional government at the time of its rebirth. And it’s named after José Antonio Agirre, the first President of the Basque country who fought against Franco, took refuge at the Columbia University in NY and embodied the aspirations of a people during the dictatorship.

The centre will research into what made the Basque successful and share the secret of its success with other places in need across the world.

I accepted the invitation to join the centre as senior associate because I see in the Basque case the vindication for all my work on civil society engagement and a triple bottom line economy. It’s also a blue print for the reform of the EU and other European governments starting with Italy. Beppe Grillo should pay a visit together with the future Italian  executive and the European Commission. This is a proved alternative to austerity.

Seif is a 22-year-old Tunisian finishing his university degree in engineering and developing a third enterprise at the same time. He loves Arab poetry, believes in God but can stand Islamists.

His family are not of the Tunisian elite. He’s simply smart and hard-working . When I took this picture it was almost midnight and he was still working.

How many 22-year-olds like him do you know in Europe? I don’t know many, and I wonder why.

I met Seif in Malta this week where I was invited to mentor 30 young entrepreneurs who took part in a course on social entrepreneurship organised by the British Council: Our Shared Future. Participants came from across Europe, Arab countries and the former Soviet Union. All were fairly brilliant, dynamic, motivated young people with great business ideas… social ones, obviously!

Seif wants to set up a company to extract a rare substance from phosphate. It’s demanded in various industries but is so rare that I don’t remember the name. Tunisia has a wealth of phosphate, especially in the rural regions far from the coast where unemployment is rocketing together with poverty and illiteracy.

What’s social about this enterprise? Perhaps it doesn’t match the European Commission’s criteria, and probably Italian and French social economy purists would snub it, but this is an enterprise that would generate income and employment in the most troubled regions, contributing to the peace and prosperity of the country.

What then is the problem? Seif can’t find the funding to start. He could start with €1m but needs €10m for a fully-fledged business. Yes, they are not peanuts but it doesn’t matter. In Tunisia neither the state nor rich guys give funding away, especially not to young entrepreneurs.

If you were wondering why the Arab Spring started in Tunisia, now you have an answer. When brilliant guys like Seif have no opportunities,  why would they respect government and the elderly? Getting rid of them and unlocking resources would be a better solution.

I’m not concerned about Seif: he’s a smart kid and will find international investors and his business will generate a financial return for them.

I’m concerned about Europe and what I realised this week comparing young Arab entrepreneurs to their peers in Europe. Young Europeans have fun, protesting in the street, living on their family’s income; but few are making something with their life, like Seif.

Is youth the problem? This is what politicians often insinuate in the media. No, young people are not the problem, but the lack of opportunities. There are no opportunities for young entrepreneurs, even if there were many young entrepreneurs out there. There are few Europeans like Seif because there is no more room for more. Bureaucracy and state company take all. Perhaps public funding and philanthropy are available, but not substantial investments.

So don’t be surprised if the young Europeans aren’t participating in creating the prosperity that they will never enjoy. Don’t feel scandalised if they want to migrate, vote for anti-establishment movements, or don’t vote at all. Be aware that they might get violent if they don’t see change.

Stéphane Hessel is dead. But the spiritual father of Indignados in Spain, Portugal and Greece  has been vindicated in the Italian election. Italians said Basta! (Stop) and many other people might follow this example before next year’s election of the European Parliament.

Two years ago we witnessed with bewilderment one Arab regime after another falling under the blows of Facebook and Twitter. Nobody expected the young Arabs fighting for democracy and justice via social media. Perhaps this week the Arab Spring has reached the southern shores of Europe and might spread like the flu virus.

This is not a movement against Europe, democracy or free market. It’s not even a movement. This is society reacting because people are fed up with their public institutions, sabotaged by financial markets and corrupted by politiciens, bureaucrats and parasites.

These people are European democrats and liberals – more or less. But they don’t want to pay for inept leaders and their greedy proxies any longer. They don’t trust political parties, nor even the civil society organisations that have fed on their collusion with politicians and their dependency on their hand-outs. All the main civil society umbrellas  supported Monti, but 90% of Italians did not show any trust in their leadership.

I wonder if the guys in Rome, Brussels and all the others entrenched in governmental palaces together with their associates have realised that it’s time to change. This has to be the new motto for all of them: find a solution for young people who want to make a difference like Seif – or quit.

Create and Hoxton Apprentice shut down. Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen is in trouble. These are not just restaurants serving good quality food but social enterprises that train homeless and young ex-offenders to get in the job market.

Social enterprises tackled social problems without depending on public funding but the economic crisis is killing them one by one. Running a business is a challenge and training vulnerable groups add extra costs making the enterprise’s sustainability almost impossible in such a economic climate.

When I read the last communication on social investments of the European Commission I got annoyed. It’s the usual preaching to national governments backed by neither money nor legislation. But what made me furious was receiving the press releases of Brussels-based lobby groups cheering up.

Hey Brussels, wake up. Nobody needs your lessons in real Europe, we need concrete solutions. If you don’t have anything valuable to offer please shut up!

The communication of Commissioner Andor follows another one on entrepreneurship launched by Commissioner Tajani two weeks ago and there would many others to add to the list but I won’t bore you. They are all the same: ‘Do this, do that… Sorry I don’t have any money’.

I understand the Commission has limited resources, therefore they should be used strategically. We need a strong Commission but with less Commissioners, less communications. We need more strategic and better funded programmes.

The social investment policy is already covered by the Social Innovation Agenda and Social Business Initiative. President Barroso, and Commissioners Barnier, Tajani, Andor, Geoghegan-Quinn and Hahn have been involved at a certain point, although I’m not sure they even agree on the meaning of the words. Besides the language issue, the only concrete programme is a fund still sitting in Luxemburg. The Commission and European Invest Bank haven’t found an agreement on definition of social enterprise.

Do we really need all these policy makers stepping on each other’s toes and little action on the ground? Let’s rewind the EU and start from what matters to people. Social enterprises are shutting down, so we need a programme to to keep them afloat until the storm is over and strengthen their capacity to overcome future crises. Am I wrong?

BTW For the first time I realised how civil society is corrupted by Brussels as I recently read in a blog: A sick European civil society.

Dear Holy Father,

I was not shocked by the your resignation. On the contrary, I found the choice a sign of strong leadership.

I admire that you publicly admitted that it’s time for you to pass on the baton because you are not able to fulfill your duties anymore.

How many other leaders are ready to take your example? Leaders normally hang on to their position until they are kicked out. In the mean time society suffers for their inadequacy and power struggle.

However, the next step is even more important: the choice of your successor. I would like to see  an innovator seated on the throne of Peter. Your brave gesture would be wasted if one of the usual suspects were chosen.

600 years passed since  the last time a Pope stood down voluntary.  We can’t wait 600 more years before an non Westerner takes the top job in the Vatican. The Catholic Church is universal isn’t it?

The same change is expected in Rome, Berlin and Brussels. The Holy Spirit will be pretty busy over the next 2 years. Perhaps you might give an hand as you are free from other incumbencies now.

I was in Lisbon this week for the launch of MIES, a project that maps social enterprises and innovation in Portugal. This is the most comprehensive example of research I know, combining a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews to profile the needs of thousands initiatives.

In the last 5 years I have witnessed one of the most conservative and challenged  countries in Western Europe becoming a breeding ground for innovators in society.

It’s an inspiration for everybody who strives for change.

When, in 2007,  I accepted Miguel’s invitation to organise a joint event I didn’t realise that Portugal was at a turning point. At the time the country’s future looked pretty doomed: burdensome historical legacy, political sclerosis, high unemployment and migration, and heavy dependence on European financial aid. It’s fair to admit that the event was not a success but it was the beginning of my involvement with a nation and people I have come to respect.

In the last 5 years I witness IES – the institute of social entrepreneurs established by Miguel the following year – becoming an engine of innovation. Thanks to Geoff Mulgan, I met Diogo Vasconcelos and we became close. Diogo  convinced Barroso to include social innovation in the European Innovation strategy and inspired many fellow innovators to follow the same path.

I had the pleasure of meeting Joao, Helena, Pedro, Filip, Nuno, Mafalda, Guilherme and many others. In 2009 I met Carlos Acevedo who today is one of my board members. Carlos is the head of the umbrella body of third sector service providers in Porto and founder of ESLIDERS, the Portuguese network of third sector leaders. ESLIDERS is not only a strategic partner of Euclid Network but has contributed the greatest number of members.

What are the causes of such a success? I am not sure if it’s a small country where it’s easy to work; enlightened foundations like Gulbenkian and EDP which invest in new talents; or a new generation of young entrepreneurs highly educated, with international experiences and a strong commitment to the well-being of their own country.

Whatever the reason, a trip to Portugal is worthwhile for many more reasons than just the country’s heritage, Porto wine and bacalhau.

BTW, The Secretary of State of the Economy cancelled his participation at MEIS launch because a financial scandal blew a few days before. However, the event was a success. The Portuguese have also learned how not to depend on politicians.