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Made to Measure? Understanding Investor Challenges with Social Impact Measurement: Two new publications explore the upsides and downsides of metrics platforms
Never before have impact investors had so many social measurement approaches and tools at their fingertips to evaluate the effectiveness of their investments. Yet investors are keenly aware of their limitations and challenges. Purpose Capital conducted a interviewed more than 20 Canadian impact investors to better understand how they use metrics.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Tags
- impact investing
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Off-Grid Electrification: A key to Myanmar’s promising growth
Throughout his promotion of the United Nation’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said several times that “energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, social equity and environmental sustainability.”
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
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- renewable energy, solar
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The Other NCDs: What’s being done about the global mental health crisis?
Mental illnesses receive far less attention and funding than other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Yet mental, neurological and substance-abuse disorders already constitute a larger share of the global disease burden than both cancer and heart disease. And major depressive disorder alone will be the number one cause of disability globally by 2030. How is the social sector responding to this crisis?
- Categories
- Health Care
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- public health
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Changing Our Priorities: When we don’t actually want what we ‘need’
More organizations are spending less time on the tired “it’s good for you, why don’t you understand?” approach to poverty alleviation. The age-old question – how might we deliver a product or service that people “need” and want? – is being answered in new and interesting ways.
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- Uncategorized
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Ennovent, University Impact Fund Reveal New Research on the Business of Health Care in India: The industry will reach $280 billion by 2020
Estimates project that the Indian health care industry will grow from its current value of $40 billion to $280 billion by 2020. Yet resource shortages in low-income markets have resulted in a lack of quality health care that is affordable and accessible. And NGOs aren’t addressing many of these markets’ greatest needs. New research from Ennovent and the University Impact Fund reveals a wealth of opportunities for businesses to fill this gap.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care, Social Enterprise
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- public health, research
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Weekly Roundup (2-23-13): : Just ‘showing up’ – that’s not enough for these entrepreneurs
Woody Allen once famously said that “90 percent of life is just showing up.”That might apply for some professions (mine included, perhaps), but I don’t think the comic filmmaker had entrepreneurs in mind when he coined it. For those with the drive to start a business, particularly a socially inclined one, I’d say only 30 percent of their success is merely showing up – with a basic business plan in hand, that is.
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- Uncategorized
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Lessons of Empowerment: Drishtee’s is building new business networks in rural India
Drishtee has provided education, health, household products and banking services to thousands of rural villages over the course of the last 13 years. Kunal Rajpal, of Acumen Fund - a Drishtee investor - reflects on how the enterprise is helping to spawn new businesses.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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- microfinance
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A New Business Model for Farmers in the Nutrient Economy
You could argue that a more comprehensive, albeit wonky, word for farmer is “nutrient steward.” Unfortunately, most farmers are only compensated for their end products, like corn and cotton. In reality, however, farmers are stewarding the nutrient processes that result in these end products. So why shouldn’t they be compensated for these services?
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Health Care
- Tags
- nutrition, public health
