Mixing Business and Social: What Really is a Social Enterprise?
Of course we all know what a ‘social enterprise’ (SE) is in a developing country. It’s obvious, surely? It’s, um, a business that does good things for people, and also makes money. Don’t nit-pick! This is all about dynamism, creativity and innovation. Well, OK, point taken. But nagging doubts remain. What sorts of good things? […]
Innovation, Scale, Returns, Failure… If BIF Is A Pilot, What Are We Learning From It?
So what have we learnt about inclusive business in the last three years, running the Business Innovation Facility? Quite a lot, as it turns out. As Country Managers and theme leaders met in London last week, we worked through some of the ‘big questions’ together. Where in our portfolio do we see the greatest innovation […]
The Volunteer Travel Industry: Business Exploits Poverty?
Innovation, Scale, Returns, Failure… Lessons from the Business Innovation Facility
MY World Citizens: Technology and a Revolution in Global Policymaking
Since they were adopted by all UN Member States in the year 2000, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have made a huge difference to the lives of millions of people around the world. The MDGs have helped to define a truly global agenda in the fight against poverty and have also provided a clear frame […]
Peter McAllister: When Words Are Not Enough
Like many of you reading this, I struggled to find the right words following news of the Rana Plaza collapse in late April. It was difficult to fully convey the horror and anger at this truly tragic loss of human life. Even worse was that workers had tried to uphold their right to not work […]
Not All Entrepreneurs: The Microfranchise Accelerator
When I started my career, one of the first books I read about Development was the Professor Yunus famous’ book Banker to the Poor on Micro-credit and how it could play a role in eradicating Poverty. The message that I could not get out of my head is that every Human Being is an entrepreneur. […]
Engaging Business Globally on Human Rights
For a long time, the policy debates, advocacy campaigns and practice sharing about business and human rights has been concentrated in the corridors of London, Geneva and New York. In 2009, the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights (GBI) identified that awareness of how companies headquartered in emerging and developing markets can and do impact […]
Existing Opportunities for Internet-Enabled Development in Africa
Access to the Internet propels both business growth and economic development, a fact that has been well documented, most recently in our Impact of the Internet report. Yet conversations on information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) in Africa frequently focus on SMS programs,mobile money, or the need for better infrastructure. These elements are important, […]
Assessing Corporate Human Rights Impacts – Lessons from Kenya
When I returned from Kenya last August, one sentence particularly stuck in my mind. A Maasai farmer being interviewed about the impacts of tourism said: “Tourism is like clean water in a fast-flowing river that is rushing past, which we have no means to enter.” This view was widely shared by employees, beach sellers, community […]
What your BOP strategy is Missing: A Gender Lens
Debate on the possibilities at the base of the pyramid (BOP) is ubiquitous; nonetheless, too often regulated to a post-script is that frequently when we refer to the BOP what we actually mean is women at the BOP. It’s time to stop discussing the BOP as a single, homogenous entity and start looking more specifically […]
Saudis to benefit from new vocational training colleges
TQ Education and Training, a Pearson business that provides outsourced training solutions, has been awarded a five-year contract to develop and operate three vocational colleges in Saudi Arabia, providing high quality vocational skills and qualifications for more than 8,000 students. The contract, which makes TQ fully responsible for vocational training at the colleges in Mecca, […]
Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights – the experience of Anglo American
Interview of Jan Klawitter, Government Relations Manager at Anglo American by Luke Wilde, Director of twentyfifty The mining multinational Anglo American and its record in contributing to social and economic development will be well known to regular readers of Business Fights Poverty. In June 2012 on this site, then CEO Cynthia Carroll reported on the […]
What’s So Special about the United Nations Approach to Business and Human Rights?
The United Nations has pondered and contemplated the subject of business and human rights for decades with rather little success. Until 2005 that is, when the Human Rights Council requested the Secretary-General to appoint a Special Representative to “identify and clarify standards of corporate responsibility and accountability with regard to human rights.” This task fell […]
The Latest Tool for Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania
Mama Muze, a widow in Dar es Salaam, has always had an interest in producing her own food products. After retiring as a banker, she set up her own food processing business, making chilli sauce and packaging it in jars with her own personalised labels. The primary challenge she faces is getting more customers. She […]
The Bigger Picture of Youth Economic Opportunity
Youth unemployment has taken center stage in global economic policy – and with good reason. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has put jobless youth at a minimum of 75 million worldwide, with young people unemployed at twice or even thrice the global adult unemployment rate. Yet, while job creation is indeed critical, generating widespread economic […]
What Your BOP Strategy is Missing – A Gender Lens
Debate on the possibilities at the base of the pyramid (BOP) is ubiquitous; nonetheless, too often regulated to a post-script is that frequently when we refer to the BOP what we actually mean is women at the BOP. It’s time to stop discussing the BOP as a single, homogenous entity and start looking more specifically […]
VELECO – the World’s First Fair Trade and Eco‐Friendly Cyclewear Company
VELECO the world’s first Fair Trade and eco‐friendly cyclewear company, based in Brighton, UK have launched an exciting new Kickstarter project to raise £20,000 in just 30 days (up till 4 July). We join a growing trend of eco start‐ups and entrepreneurs who are using crowd funding to reach new customers and generate sales. Kickstarter […]
Understanding What Makes Impact Accelerators … Accelerate
Last year, a widely-publicized report from Monitor-Deloitte and Acumen highlighted the “Pioneer Gap” in impact investing — explaining how, despite the tremendous attention and capital dedicated to impact investing (as the GIIN estimates, $17 billion in 2012 and 2013), “pioneering” early-stage firms face a serious dearth of critical resources, support, and financing. In the past […]
The Private Sector and Fragile States
The development conundrum facing the international community in the 21st century is the increasing number and persistence of fragile and conflict affected states. There are almost 50 fragile and conflict affected states in the world today. They are characterized by persistent conflict, poor governance, weak institutions, widespread corruption, lack of legitimacy, the inability to provide […]