Publication database

This report looks into the state of the social enterprise sector in Thailand, showing a growing community of businesses operating in diverse industries from education and health to fisheries, agriculture and livestock. They are more likely to be led by women than traditional businesses and just over half earn all their income from commercial activities.

This final factsheet of GCP project “Local and International business collaboration for productivity and Quality Improvement in Dairy chains in SE Asia and East Africa (LIQUID). It provides insights into power balances in formal and informal dairy value chains as related to the inclusive development effects of milk quality improvement activities can be considered as the .

This report presents the main messages of the Second ASEAN Inclusive Business Summit that took place on 1 November 2019 in Bangkok. As a result of efforts to promote inclusive business at the ASEAN and national levels, the majority of ASEAN Member States are engaging actively in inclusive business policy development. ASEAN leaders have commended and encouraged governments and private sector actors to continue promoting inclusive business, as stated in the ASEAN Chairman’s Statement of the 35th ASEAN Summit. A framework for the development of effective inclusive business policy instruments has emerged through the experience of frontrunner countries, highlighting eight strategic areas of inclusive business promotion.

A new variety of rice is now helping smallholder farmers in North Thailand out of poverty, while also improving their diet. Siam Organic Co., Ltd., which introduced Jasberry rice, a non-GMO, organic rice variety in the region, adopted an inclusive business model to help farmers increase harvest yields and earn more. Siam Organic was a finalist in the first ASEAN Inclusive Business Awards, which was held in 2017.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation's work in Southeast Asia continues to prove that social entrepreneurs are at the forefront of driving change and creating social impact. The legal structure that social entrepreneurs choose for their venture can have a significant bearing on their ability to achieve social change. The guide identifies the advantages and disadvantages of each structure and sets out the relevant registration procedures, regulatory and governance considerations, tax treatment as well as finance and fundraising options – an understanding of all of this is so crucial to ensuring the sustainability, good governance and success of a social venture. 

This report provides case studies and lessons learned from seven Asian countries in five areas of innovative financing for development. Such innovative financing for development would benefit inclusive businesses as a new source of funding.

Asia is facing simultaneously huge growth potential and increasing inequalities, with often weak national solutions to the social issues at hand. Social purpose organisations (SPOs) are seen to solve these issues sustainably. Social incubation is seen as a tool to help SPOs grow and potentially build a pipeline for social investors. This paper presents insights from surveying 15 social incubators in Asa which have existed for at least two years. 

This paper provides an introduction to the key challenges faced by the shrimp industry and practices in three of the world’s main producing countries: Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. It focuses on small scale fisheries, farmers and processors and identifies possible entry points and interventions for inclusive business opportunities.