NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

The Displaced Livelihoods Initiative (DLI), a new research fund supported by the IKEA Foundation, will host an information session for policymakers and practitioners on May 10, 2023 at 9:00 am ET. This webinar is intended for policymakers and practitioners who are interested in learning about DLI’s thematic scope and gaining an overview of the opportunities for collaboration between researchers and organizations involved in policy and practice.

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Displacement is at an all-time high and is projected to climb in the coming decades, making it more necessary than ever to identify impactful and cost-effective programs and policies that enable refugees and others forced to flee to achieve self-reliance and rebuild their lives. Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) and J-PAL recently launched DLI, to respond to this need.

DLI will generate new evidence on how to best ensure sustainable livelihoods and achieve self-reliance for displaced populations and host communities. Ultimately, research supported by the initiative aims to support the design of better policies and programs for displaced populations to rebuild their lives.

Time: 9:00 to 10:30am EDT

Cultivating Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: What the evidence tells us is needed

Entrepreneurship is top-of-mind for policymakers and donors as a key contributor to economic development. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are estimated to contribute up to 40 percent of national GDP in developing economies and account for 90 percent of businesses worldwide.

While much of the economic research in prior decades has focused on the viability and growth of individual enterprises, recent research has emphasized the importance of the social and economic systems surrounding the entrepreneur – commonly referred to as an “entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Time: 17:30 PM IST ONWARDS (GMT+5) / 8:00 ET

The Argidius Foundation conducted an assessment of their portfolio of intermediaries and enterprises to understand more clearly whether and how business development services (BDS) are effective. While this research showed that BDS is effective on average, not all programs are similarly impactful. Rather, more successful programs had a common set of characteristics (or “key features”) that Argidius acronymized as “SCALE”. Argidius synthesized this information in a report, titled How to fulfil the potential of Business Development Services using SCALE, and a set of associated tools and resources to make this information available and actionable for stakeholder supporting entrepreneurship globally. The purpose of the study is to inform donors and business development providers on how to maximize their impact.

Time: 09:00 – 13:00 South Africa / 3:00 AM – 7:00 AM ET