Co-Founder
Johanna Mair
Johanna Mair is Co-Founder of the Global Innovation for Impact Lab (GIIL) and Director of the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute, where she leads work on how organizations and institutions address complex societal challenges through social innovation.
A leading voice in the field, she has shaped international debates on social innovation, collective action, and systems change through her long-standing editorial leadership at Stanford Social Innovation Review, her award-winning research, and her teaching in executive and graduate education programs.
As a trusted advisor to philanthropic organizations, social innovators, and public institutions, she works at the intersection of research, education, and practice to build evidence, develop capabilities, and support strategies that enhance the societal impact of organizations and cross-sector initiatives.
Research Areas
Social Innovation
Investigating how novel approaches to complex societal challenges emerge and create transformative change across institutions and communities.
Collective Action
Studying how diverse actors coordinate across sectors and geographies to address problems that no single organization can solve alone.
Systems Change
Examining how interventions, policies, and cross-sector initiatives can shift entire systems toward more equitable and sustainable outcomes.
Transnational Governance
Exploring how organizations and institutions operate across borders to shape policy, build capacity, and drive societal impact at scale.
Publications & Research
Johanna has an extensive body of award-winning research spanning social innovation, collective action, and systems change. Explore the full body of research.