Publication database

This working paper aims to expand the evidence-base around the potential for blended finance to narrow the SDG funding gap. It provides an analysis of Convergence's dataset of nearly 200 blended finance transactions which have mobilised more than $50 billion towards sustainable development. The analysis shows that the number of blended finance deals is increasing each year. The working paper also provides a useful map of the key organisations active in the blended finance ecosystem (including private investors, multilateral and bilateral development banks and donors).

In 2016 a research team from Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship undertook survey research with Solar Sister to examine the effects of solar lantern use on users’ health, education, time allocation, household savings, income generation, and increased agency. The research team conducted a 53-question survey in more than 20 villages across five regions in Tanzania. The data and stories presented here are intended to help illuminate the potential of solar lanterns to improve livelihoods in rural Tanzania and beyond.

The report elaborates the value that customers derived from PAYGO solar, why they decided to purchase it, how they were able to afford it, the manner in which they paid for it, and if they considered the product to be valuable.

Science and technology-based startups often face different challenges and need different resources than other ventures. This data brief analyses the extent to which accelerators are drawing in companies with intellectual property, and what types of science and technology-based startups they are attracting. It explores patterns among invention-based ventures using data from the Entrepreneurship Database Program.

This paper makes a point for container-based sanitation businesses (CBS) an an alternative to piped sanitation. CBS are uniquely suited to the challenges of serving dense urban populations, but are not without their challenges. The insights shared in this paper are intended to help accelerate progress and to provide water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) stakeholders with a blueprint for taking CBS to the next level.

This report argues that inclusive financial market development in Sub-Saharan Africa should focus on fragility-affected states in Africa (FASA). It provides rationale, definitions, and principles of financial market systems in FASA.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem snapshot provides insights about the business environment, local support systems, and entrepreneurial intermediaries in and around Lagos and Abuja (Nigeria) and Accra (Ghana). It maps organizations that support small and growing businesses, and identifies gaps, challenges, and opportunities within the entrepreneurial ecosystem in these locations.

In this publication Omidyar Network presents the findings from a global survey of 60,000 individuals’ perspectives on whom they trust — government or private companies — with their personal data. The survey captures data from 60 countries, and reveals a surprising degree of mistrust around the world that companies and governments alike will need to address if the digital economy is to succeed in the long run. 

This report resents sustainable business opportunities in he Latin American and Caribbean region by 2030. It identifies attractive investment opportunities in 60 sustainable market ‘hotspots’ that could yield an economic prize worth more than US$1.2 trillion. The report shows how business, government, and civil society can helpt to make the region economically more dynamic, socially inclusive, and environmentally stable.

Except for South Africa, the level of formal banking and insurance penetration across Africa remains low. So far, low income consumers in Africa have been seen as a hindrance to providing products and services through traditional distribution models. New market entrants have started to disrupt traditional business models by introducing digital technology at various parts of the value chain. This report introduces these in three waves of innovation in Africa’s financial services industry.