Publication database

This report identifies the value of and support necessary to assist SMEs in scaling up in their local markets across the Middle East and North Africa. It further identifies priority support areas for policymakers including business fundamentals, business propellers, demand creators and country readiness that, when appropriately addressed, can propel local economic growth.

While private sector engagement strategies typically try to distort markets in positive ways to bring about pro-poor change, negative distortions may still arise if interventions are poorly designed or implemented. This report reviews how PSE interventions may give rise to negative market distortions, in three areas.

The report explores the potential for Inclusive Business in Myanmar with the aim of improving understanding of the market while examining the potential of inclusive businesses to attract investment from impact investment funds. It also makes policy recommendations on enhancing the environment for inclusive business investments including coordination between key stakeholders.

The road to scaled impact is a nonlinear, complicated journey. Along the way, organizations have to overcome many challenges and roadblocks. The Scaling Pathways Theme Studies series dives into five topics, bringing to light lessons learned by successful social enterprises who have navigated challenges on the road to scaled impact. This document lays out key strategies and advice for ventures that are exploring, or already engaging in, government partnerships. 

This report looks at the long-term track record of 71 developing economies to identify the outperformers—and finds two key factors that help explain their outperformance: a pro-growth policy agenda of productivity, income, and demand that has driven exceptional economic growth, and the underappreciated but nonetheless standout role that large companies have played in driving that growth.

IB financing as an investment and policy tool is a nascent tool with a promising but inconsistent track record in generating positive financial, economic, social, and environmental returns. Given the nexus binding exclusion, poverty, inequality, and resource consumption, this report argues that IB financing matters.

CGAP set out to examine pathways to inclusive payment ecosystems in two Sub-Saharan African countries, Tanzania and Ghana, to learn from their experiences. While this analysis could have highlighted the experiences of any number of countries that have succeeded in developing inclusive payment ecosystems, the Tanzanian and Ghanaian experiences hold unique and complementary lessons.

The publication discusses the market potentials, constraints, and necessary policy instruments for an enabling environment for inclusive business. A profile of inclusive business initiatives, the overview of the base of the pyramid market size, and the inclusive business ecosystem in each APEC economy as well as a recommended a framework to guide future work on inclusive business under the APEC regional economic cooperation agenda are also included in this report.

Developing solutions that address ill health can be a triple win for clients, society and financial service providers. Keeping clients and their families healthy makes business sense, but while there is great demand for such solutions, only a few providers have focussed on tackling health challenges. Our latest paper includes case studies and outlines the scope for financial service providers to develop holistic health solutions.