Publication database

This landscape study presents the status of Inclusive Business (IB) in Zambia. It contains various best practice examples, assesses the enabling environment for IB in the country, and makes policy recommendations for a strategic programme to promote such enterprises. 

Following a joint request from the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Governments of Kaduna and Lagos states, the Inclusive Business Action Network commissioned a landscape study to determine the status of inclusive business (IB) in Nigeria. The study objectives were to (a) study Nigeria’s business environment to identify how best to advocate for inclusive business, while being mindful of the Nigerian context, (b) identify business organisations that can adopt the IB methodology to escalate positive social and economic impacts in Nigeria, (c) identify specific government institutions that can provide the needed incentives to encourage inclusive business models, and (d) recommend appropriate policy initiatives and institutional reforms that will help promote inclusive business in Nigeria. The study focused on Lagos and Kaduna states at the subnational level, and on the relevant institutions and business associations at the national level. This report provides the insights from the study.

There is a growing number of enterprises - green and inclusive businesses (GIBs) - that are primarily investing in BoP-centered adaptation and environmental solutions. This report makes recommendations for ASEAN member states on how to support GIBs.

The Inclusive Business Coaching and Mentoring Guide (IB-CM) is aimed at business consultants and facilitators working with companies that want to establish new inclusive business lines or wish to turn their existing business lines inclusive. In addition to general guidelines for inclusive businesses in Cambodia, it introduces four practical tools to support the coaching and mentoring process.

The tools are available in English and Khmer.

This study analyses how Inclusive Business and social entrepreneurship intersect with women’s economic empowerment (WEE). Across 13 case studies from ten ASEAN member states, it identifies two clear paths of WEE impact and four modes of IB and WEE engagement. Based on these findings, the study gives recommendations on how to increase private sector engagement in this field.

Interest in inclusive business in the Philippines began in 2012, when a market scoping study in the Philippines was conducted by the Asian Social Enterprise Incubator, Inc. (ASEI) for the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The study looked at seventy companies with inclusive business models.

Ten years later, this study takes a second look at companies featured in the 2012 study to see how resilient their inclusive business models are and how they have progressed over the past decade. This study also looks at companies that were registered and accredited with the Board of Investments (BOI) as inclusive business projects to eventually qualify for fiscal incentives. This study shows, aside from the growth and accomplishments of the companies, the challenges they had to surpass as they reach viability and scale. 

Since 2017, when ASEAN leaders called for greater emphasis on creating an enabling environment for inclusive businesses, various governments in the region (including Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Viet Nam) have embarked on promoting IB, and an increasing number of companies – supported by impact investors – have established IB models.

In this context, the government of Malaysia has requested the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Inclusive Business Action Network (iBAN) to conduct this study to explore the relevance of inclusive business for Malaysia, analyse the status of inclusive businesses in Malaysia and assess the environment in which they operate, in order to provide recommendations, where relevant, for promoting inclusive businesses.

En s’appuyant sur la définition de l’entreprise inclusive du G20 et sur les contributions de dirigeants et de grandes organisations du monde, ce document propose une série structurée de caractéristiques permettant d’identifier les entreprises inclusives avec davantage d’efficacité et de cohérence. C’est la première fois que des voix aussi diverses se rassemblent pour parvenir à un consensus sur les caractéristiques de haut niveau des entreprises inclusives. 

A partir de la definición de negocio inclusivo del G-20 y con el aporte de organizaciones y líderes mundiales, se plantean una serie estructurada de elementos que permiten categorizar eficaz y eficientemente a los negocios inclusivos. Es la primera vez que voces tan diversas han colaborado para definir de forma consensuada las características de alto nivel de los negocios inclusivos.