Unleashing The Potential Of Entrepreneurs In The Fight Against Poverty
The starting point for development may be different for each country, but the journey taken is often the same. As I have seen, time and again it is wealth creation, jobs and livelihoods, above all else, which help poor people to lift themselves out of poverty. In the developing world, small and medium enterprises hold […]
Expand the Evidence Base at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Photo credit: CARE/Kathryn Richards If we want to differentiate between responsible capitalism and business as usual in market based approaches to international development we need to expand the evidence base at the bottom of the pyramid. This was one of the conclusions drawn by seven panelists from the world of business, strategic management and development […]
The ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’ Approach: Responsible Capitalism or Business as Usual?
Yesterday evening I took part in a Public Debate at Saïd Business School, organised by the Centre for New Economies of Development – a collaboration between the Universities of Oxford, Sussex and Edinburgh. The event also saw the launch of a new website to encourage academic discussion and knowledge sharing on the BoP: responsiblebop.com Below […]
Cultivating Potential: iDE UK and the Rise of the Female Farming Entrepreneur
Since its founding iDE UK has watched its projects transform the livelihoods and income opportunities of poor rural farmers in the developing world. However it is the potential in women that iDE UK sees as the greatest game changer of rural poverty. At iDE UK we have long recognised the important role that women play […]
At the State Dept., Contributing to an Impact Economy
Today at the US State Department in Washington, D.C., we are convening leaders across sectors and continents to discuss how we can work together to contribute to an impact economy by developing and deploying cutting-edge business and financial models that generate financial returns and positive social and environmental change. During our travels around the world, […]
Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Companies: Fighting Poverty and Profit at the Same Time
From extractive companies, to financial service firms, multinationals, to small social enterprises, Business Fights Poverty’s blogs capture the trend in how business and the social sector are redefining their relationships to tackle tough social problems. Curiously, multinational pharmaceutical and medical device companies are absent from much of the conversation. Yet, it is difficult to find […]
Investing with Impact: Building Partnerships for a Better Tomorrow
Kris Balderston, US Special Representative for Global Partnerships, will hold a conversation with Kirsty Jenkinson, Director, Markets & Enterprise Program, World Resources Institute on “Investing with Impact: Building Partnerships for a Better Tomorrow.” The conversation will highlight how government and business are working together to promote lasting change and innovation around the globe. The discussion, […]
The World Bank's New Open Access Policy: Access to Insights at the Intersection of Business and Development
“Knowledge is power,” World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick said last week, commenting on the World Bank’s new Open Access policy. “Making our knowledge widely and readily available will empower others to come up with solutions to the world’s toughest problems.” Indeed, the Bank’s new Open Access policy builds on recent efforts to increase […]
The World Bank’s New Open Access Policy: Access to Insights at the Intersection of Business and Development
“Knowledge is power,” World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick said last week, commenting on the World Bank’s new Open Access policy. “Making our knowledge widely and readily available will empower others to come up with solutions to the world’s toughest problems.” Indeed, the Bank’s new Open Access policy builds on recent efforts to increase […]
Creating a sales force of solar entrepreneurs
Which continents have the highest number of mobile phone subscribers? The answer isn’t Europe or the Americas, where mobile phones first took off, but Asia and, as of 2011, Africa. By the end of last year there were over 600m mobile phones subscribers from Cairo to Cape Town, according to research by the GSMA. This […]
Unbeatable Tools for Small Business
As part of our new series of Editorial Specials highlighting our favourite resources on business and development, this blog looks at two excellent contrasting toolboxes for entrepreneurs. This month we have selected two excellent contrasting toolboxes for entrepreneurs. One, more conventional, covers the essentials to start and run operations: business plans, insurance, accounting and cash […]
Accion – Business Tools for Social Impact
Many people who, like me, have crossed into the social sector from a for-profit background, want to see nonprofits take advantage of business principles to generate ever better outcomes. Continuous improvement is one such tool. To oversimplify, continuous improvement involves capturing crucial performance data in ongoing feedback loops so staff can make enhancements to better […]
Trends and Results in Private Sector Development (Continued)
The Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) organised a Seminar on trends and results in private sector development (PSD), in January 2012. It focused on what we are learning about results and in part on the DCED Standard for results measurement. There were around 100 participants from 32 countries, representing 54 different organisations, field programmes […]
The BoP Approach: Sinner or Savior?
Today several of the world’s largest corporations – including Hewlett Packard, SK Johnson and Unilever – are engaging with the so-called ‘bottom of the pyramid’, becoming key players in global development by selling products to improve health, nutrition and overall well-being in the rural markets of developing countries. Meanwhile development donors like DfID champion large […]
Trends and Results in Private Sector Development: Next Steps
The Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) organised a Seminar on trends and results in private sector development (PSD), in January 2012. It focused on what we are learning about results and in part on the DCED Standard for results measurement. There were around 100 participants from 32 countries, representing 54 different organisations, field programmes […]
Trends and Results in Private Sector Development: A Donor Perpective
The Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) organised a Seminar on trends and results in private sector development (PSD), in January 2012. It focused on what we are learning about results and in part on the DCED Standard for results measurement. There were around 100 participants from 32 countries, representing 54 different organisations, field programmes […]
Trends and Results in Private Sector Development: Reforming the Business Environment
The Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) organised a Seminar on trends and results in private sector development (PSD), in January 2012. It focused on what we are learning about results and in part on the DCED Standard for results measurement. There were around 100 participants from 32 countries, representing 54 different organisations, field programmes […]
ANDE Celebrates its Third Anniversary
Last week, the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) celebrated its third anniversary. As often happens with milestones, for me it was a time to reflect. ANDE is a network of organizations that support small and growing businesses (SGBs) and entrepreneurship in developing and emerging markets. I was first exposed to this idea in the […]
Barend van Bergen: Sustainability Fundamental to Long-Term Business Performance
Almost four years ago, while being seconded from KPMG to the WBCSD, I was involved in a series of workshops aimed at involving the capital markets in sustainability. Reflecting now on the lively conversations that took place, I genuinely believe we have made some progress. Although I never predicted events would unfold as they have, […]
Making Choices
Reach even more than 12,000 rural Bangladeshi women? Boost financial return to investors? Or operate with lower capital requirements? These were just some of the choices facing new investors in Jita, in mid 2012. Jita, launched in December as a Bangladeshi company, is one of many social enterprises demonstrating that commercial return and social impact […]