That's what Bill Drayton told NOW Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa in an interview last week. Drayton was talking about how social entrepreneurs -- people with innovative solutions to vexing social problems -- fit in to today's global situation. Drayton, often credited with coining the term "social entrepreneur," founded Ashoka, an organization that fosters social entrepreneurship around the world. In an interview posted on NOW last week, Drayton talks about how social entrepreneurs give governments some healthy competition, why the number of such innovators seems to be expanding exponentially right now, and more. To listen to the interview, click here.

Below are some more excerpts from Hinojosa's interview:

“I think we're in the middle of the biggest structural change in society since the agricultural revolution, and the social entrepreneurs and business entrepreneurs are right at the heart of it."

"What does an entrepreneur do? The first thing is they've given themselves permission to see a problem. Most people don't want to see problems ... Once you see a problem and you keep looking at it you'll find an answer."

"It's the combination: big idea with a good entrepreneur: there's nothing more powerful. That's just as true [for] education and human rights as it is for hotel or steels."

"The citizen sector is now growing jobs at three times the rate of the rest of society."

"The social entrepreneurs are governments' best friends ... Yes the social entrepreneurs are challenging the governments, but that's very healthy."

"Two of the last three Nobel [peace] prize winners have been social entrepreneurs. This is a recognition that our field is maturing."