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

Friday, January 10, 2014

Three decades of rapid economic growth have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in China. But it has also produced regional and income disparities and a host of social and environmental problems that social enterprises are helping to address.

“Social entrepreneurs have begun to appear en masse, social impact investors are eager to participate, academia is heavily interested, local governments have begun experimenting with social enterprise incubators, and the media is calling for a spirit of social entrepreneurship,” according to a recent UBS-funded study (China Social Enterprise and Impact Investment Report).

At the top, China has committed to pursuing more balanced economic and social development and is encouraging public participation in the provision of some public services. In 2013, the government announced policies to define its roles as regulator, customer, and investor in the public services sector.