On a recent semester-long stay in India, students from Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio) learned about a variety of social and economic development issues, with an emphasis on the role and status of women. This study describes and assesses the impact and effectiveness of their learning with a particular focus on their exposure to Meerut Seva Samaj (MSS), one economic development initiative concentrating on rural women. The Indian economy has recently witnessed an increase in entrepreneurship among women. Entrepreneurship often allows women to engage in home-based work so that they still can attend to their domestic duties, while also helping to financially support the family. Banks, companies, and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are finding that offering micro-credit, or small loans, and other types of entrepreneurial assistance can help women start businesses. Meerut Seva Samaj provides a concrete example of how Indian women, especially in rural areas, can become successful entrepreneurs with the help of technology, training and other resources. MSS also assists local communities in the use of biogas, an environmentally friendly energy source that improves the environment and fertility of land in rural areas. The study places this service learning case study from India in the context of the literature on women, economic development, entrepreneurship and environmental issues.

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This article views the production and performance of new art music as a public good that benefits society by infusing vitality into contemporary culture. This article presents a new modernity index (MI), a consistent index for assessing the degree to which a season of music programmes can be considered 'contemporary'. The article also presents a case study of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO), for the period 1895 to 2013. Analysis of the MI reveals trends over time, clearly showing a reduction in modernity as time goes on. This article discusses how the data based on the MI may be used by artistic organisations to transition its historic product (repertoire) into a more modern and socially relevant product. The study suggests that further research should examine increasing reliance on a private good model for financing art music that may lead to underproduction of contemporary art music.