7

Policy as a worthwhile investment

How public and private actors can join forces to grow inclusive business

GRAPHIC SUMMARY

A visual summary of the key challenges entrepreneurs need to consider when it comes to policymaking and public-private cooperation for inclusive business. Learn more about these aspects by reading this seventh edition of the newly developed online magazine on inclusive business! The illustration was developed by Christopher Malapitan, a visual practitioner and trainer based in Brussels. Through the use of visual storytelling methods he empowers individuals and organizations to “see” what they mean.

editorial

POLICYMAKING FOR AND WITH ENTREPRENEURS

Dietrich explains how engaging with policymakers as an entrepreneur is constructive and fun, with a great risk/return ratio. After all, “inclusive business delivers financial return, inclusive growth, and systemic social impact—a win, win, win for business, government, and low-income people.”

Markus Dietrich

Table of contents

graphic summary

GRAPHIC SUMMARY

A visual summary of the key challenges entrepreneurs need to consider when it comes to policymaking and public-private cooperation for inclusive business. Learn more about these aspects by reading this seventh edition of the newly developed…

editorial

POLICYMAKING FOR AND WITH ENTREPRENEURS

Dietrich explains how engaging with policymakers as an entrepreneur is constructive and fun, with a great risk/return ratio. After all, “inclusive business delivers financial return, inclusive growth, and systemic social impact—a win, win, win for business, government, and low-income people.”

Markus Dietrich

feature story

In the era of inclusive business, government is friend, not foe

To transform our economy and help inclusive businesses thrive, business and government cooperation is critical. In this CLUED-iN issue, policymakers, entrepreneurs and others share their thoughts on public-private partnerships and other forms of collaboration between the public and the private sectors. Governments can create an enabling environment for IBs and entrepreneurs can build social innovations that drive policy innovations. The magic is in the synergy!

Dana Gulley

What is inclusive business anyway?

As governments, investors—and even inclusive businesses themselves—are increasingly seeking ways to categorise business activity as inclusive or not, these soon-to-be-released operating guidelines can help stakeholders identify those companies that are “truly inclusive businesses.”

How responsible are ASEAN business entrepreneurs?

Dixie and Smaller discuss the ten issue-specific principles that ASEAN has released to guide investments in the region. They argue that entrepreneurs in the region should pay attention to these guidelines if they are to “access an ever-growing pot of responsible investment.”

In Sierra Leone, multi-sector pioneers are transforming financial systems that were built to exclude

Davie explains the impacts of financial exclusion on people’s livelihoods and the huge opportunity for financial inclusion through efforts like the Kiva Protocol, a pioneering public-private partnership to bring over 4 million unbanked adults in Sierra Leone into the formal economy.

Public-private engagement makes good policy—and good business—sense

Miller describes why policy engagement is crucial for inclusive business to thrive and shares the impacts of the Power for All campaign, which used policy reform to accelerate market growth for distributed renewable energy (DRE) in Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria.

Entrepreneurs wanted: how governments and the private sector can work together to build more supportive inclusive business environments

Marta shares the work of United Nations ESCAP, in partnership with iBAN, to identify policy opportunities in Cambodia to support the development of new and existing inclusive business models. She explains how and why IB entrepreneurs can benefit from engaging in these policymaking efforts.

Shaping the Philippine inclusive business landscape

Moleno gives insights into the Philippines' experience in IB policymaking. Both the country's private and public sectors have embraced inclusive business as an approach to poverty reduction and building an inclusive society. Crafting efficient inclusive business policies has led to positive reactions from the private sector. Moleno describes obstacles that had to be overcome and learnings for other countries.

Scaling catalytic business and policy innovations to take a bite out of food waste

Sir Gordon Conway, member of the Malabo Montpellier Panel, discusses the impacts of global food waste and offers examples of catalytic business and policy innovations that—if replicated and scaled—could mean massive reductions in hunger and poverty, not to mention methane emissions.

Pact for Impact: A global coalition where social innovation inspires ambitious, agile policy

According to High Commissioner Itier, “social innovation means public innovation.” This is why he has helped form a coalition of governments, enterprises, investors and civil society to more quickly transform the traditional economy to be more social and inclusive.

In Your Words

Policy experts share inspiring insights and best practices on inclusive business policies during the iBAN policy roadshow in Nigeria and Kenya