Social Innovation

Dr. Ben Lough’s research over the past four years has significantly contributed to our understanding of gender equality within the context of international volunteering and service. He has been a recipient of several research grants to study innovations in gender equality programs and policy. Most notably, his collaboration with PhD student Tiffany Laursen and two scholars at the University of Ottawa resulted in the co-edited book, “Innovations in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment”. Findings in this book expand upon his previous work as Senior Researcher in the Volunteer Knowledge and Innovation Section for the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program, where he investigated the capacity of voluntary action to promote innovations for sustainable peace and development. He also recently secured a collaborative grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to support exploration into the determinants of “human flourishing” through a gender-transformative lens.

In partnership with two researchers at Kean University, Dr. Lough published a study last year titled, “Gendered Disparities in Funding for Non-profit, Hybrid, and For-profit Start-up Ventures.” The study illuminates the gender-conscious aspects of investment funding in the start-up ecosystem. Focusing on social and environmental enterprises, it scrutinizes gender disparities in start-up equity funding across non-profit, for-profit, and hybrid social ventures, with or without invention-based technologies. The study, which includes an analysis of 17,440 start-up ventures from the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative (GALI), offers crucial insights into gender composition of founder teams, equity funding availability, and gendered differences in invention-based ventures. It also outlines potential strategies for overcoming gender disparities in public policy, the education system, scholarship, and professional associations.

Going forward, Dr. Lough and his collaborators have proposed a new research initiative, “Youth as Agents of Change for Gender Equality, Peace, and Security,” currently under review for grant funding. If awarded, this project will investigate change strategies of youth affected by violence and conflict in ten countries that have recently witnessed significant disruption, conflict, or war. It aims to place youth at the heart of innovative, gender-sensitive peace and security programs. This work continues to push the boundaries of our understanding of gender equality and make significant contributions to the global academic community.