As we move ahead, there is an increasing consciousness about the need for social enterprise, across essential product and service sectors. Social enterprising, and in many cases, micro-enterprising, supported particularly by investment instead of aid, so as to improve access to products and services, and to eliminate the poverty penalty is fast becoming mainstream. Large financial institutions (JP Morgan), national organizations on social investing, and even special taskforces for power groups like the G8 have been formed to distil understanding and accelerate adoption.

Following are a list of reports which go to support impact, sustainable and socially responsible investment, access to healthcare, ICT, finance, food and more. We hope this makes for an indispensible repository to update your knowledge about the latest research, events, facts and conclusions about the base of the pyramid, globally.

1. Social Enterprises and Social Entrepreneur Case Studies

By: India Microfinance (Author: Abhay Nayak, Founder, Managing Editor)

Released: March 2014

Available: Here

Report Link: Here

Sector: Access to Finance, Social Enterprise, Impact Investment

“There has been much progress in promoting base of the Pyramid (boP) business and a growing number of ventures and initiatives have come forward that reflect the different phases of the business value chain. in the past decade, work on inclusive business development has increased significantly and organizations working today on innovative models range from multinational corporations, co-operatives, small and medium-sized enterprises, governments, public institutions and international organizations, and even not-for-profit organizations that use business principles — or social business approaches — to achieve their mission.

However, even with this increase of practitioners and projects being implemented, there is still a shortage of case studies documenting boP projects that have had a positive impact achieving financial results and enabling more inclusive and sustainable markets, while also empowering local communities. Thus, there is a need to identify and document successful cases in order to inspire the growing community of practitioners and make sure successful projects get replicated and maximize potential impact.”

2. Marketing Nutrition for the Base of the Pyramid

By: Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) (Authors: Olivier Kayser, Lucie Klarsfeld, Simon Brossard)

Released: April 2014

Available: Here

Report Link: Here

Sector: Sustainable Access to Nutrition

“As of 2014, malnutrition remains a widespread issue across the globe. Families living at the base of the pyramid spend an average of 60% of their income on food and yet, under-nutrition still accounts for over 3 million deaths per year among infants and young children. 26% of all children under five are stunted, irremediably reducing their chances of becoming successful adults.

A range of solutions has been developed to improve the quality of nutrition during the critical first 1,000 days of life. Little is known however about the potential contribution of market-based solutions. This report learns from the successes and failures of best practice organizations that successfully sell nutritious complementary foods and supplements for 6-24 month old infants to BoP families in developing countries.”

3. Barriers and Opportunities at the Base of the Pyramid – The Role of the Private Sector in Inclusive Development

By: UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD)

Released: Aug 2014

Available: Here

Report Link: Here

Sector: Inclusive Business, Impact Investment, Socially Responsible Investment

“As part of its mandate to guide and define the role of the private sector in poverty reduction and inclusive development, the UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD) produced the “Barriers and Opportunities at the Base of the Pyramid” foundational report. Developed by an interdisciplinary team of 18 leading poverty experts, the report leverages an ecological approach to understanding barriers to poverty reduction. The report presents poverty as a complex web of accumulating and interacting disadvantages facing people living in poverty, which in turn, sustain and perpetuate a life of socioeconomic exclusion. The barriers are clustered into five broad categories: Early Developmental Barriers, Health Barriers, Skill Barriers, Social Barriers, and Decision-making Barriers.

Using this framework, the IICPSD surveyed a diverse group of practitioners to understand what are some of the opportunities private sector actors can undertake to help tackle these barriers. The report clusters private sector actions into four broad approaches, each within its own commercial logic: Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Enterprise, Inclusive Business, and Mainstream Business.”

4. The Broadband Effect: Enhancing Market-based Solutions for the Base of the Pyramid

By: IADB (Authors: Olivier Kayser, Lucie Klarsfeld, Simon Brossard)

Released: September 2014

Available: Here

Report Download Link: Here

Executive Summary: Here

Sector: Access to ICT, Access to Finance, Social Enterprise

“Broadband has a potential impact on the base of the pyramid (BOP), a segment of the population previously excluded from markets, and which lacks access to quality goods and services. Broadband facilitates the development of new business models that are more effective and efficient in terms of accessing, creating, and distributing goods and services to the BOP. A variety of private-sector-led broadband initiatives involving the BOP around the world have demonstrated profitability, while also providing social and economic returns along the value chain. Without the use of such technology, these solutions in some cases would not be available to this segment of the population. The Broadband Effect examines, at a global level, how companies that serve the BOP are deploying the use of broadband to improve the efficiency of their operations and better reach this market segment. This report sheds light on these broadband-enabled BOP business models, the ecosystem in which they operate the benefits and challenges of broadband adoption, and the role of public policy and regulation. The business cases studies therein are sustainable models that directly target the BOP and are enhanced by the use of broadband- and Internet-enabled technologies. The case studies come from a variety of developing economies in different regions around the world, as well as from different sectors such as financial services, education, and health.”

5. Impact Investment: The Invisible Heart of Markets

By: G8 Social Impact Investment Task Force

Released: September 2014

Report Link: Here

Report Overview: Here

Sector: Impact Investment, Socially Responsible Investment

“The Taskforce has made a number of important objectives and recommendations for governments to develop the ecosystems which are crucial to the development of impact investment as a powerful force.

Recognising there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach, policy makers need to consider their own context and the policy opportunities that suit their particular environment, their policy priorities and the existing nature of social service provision.

In all cases, however, government has the opportunity to stimulate greater innovation in the delivery of services and achieve ‘better impact for money’. To ensure social impact investment thrives, government has an important role to play, as a market builder, as a purchaser of social outcomes and as a market steward, removing barriers and ensuring that the positive intentions of impact organisations are safeguarded over time.”

6. Global Wealth Report

By: Credit Suisse and world’s foremost experts (“Thought Leadership from CS Research Institute”)

Released: October 2014

Report Link: Here

Sector: Impact Investment, Wealth Inequality

“The Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date source of information on global household wealth. Since 2010, we have collaborated with Professors Anthony Shorrocks and Jim Davies, recognized authorities on this topic, and the principal authors of “Personal Wealth from a Global Perspective,” Oxford University Press,

2008. Unlike other studies, this report measures and analyzes trends in wealth across nations from the very base of the “wealth pyramid” to the ultra-high net worth individuals. The methodology is robust, established over many years of analysis, and completely transparent with regard to the underlying sources and their quality.

“We devote this year’s special topic to wealth inequality. The changing distribution of wealth is now one of the most widely discussed and controversial of topics, not least owing to Thomas Piketty’s recent account of long-term trends around inequality. We are confident that the depth of our data will make a valuable contribution to the inequality debate.”

7. Shared Prosperity through Inclusive Business : How Successful Companies Reach the Base of the Pyramid

By: WB, IFC

Released: November 2014

Available: Here

Report Link: Here

Key Takeaways: Here

Sector: Inclusive Business, Social Enterprise, Socially Responsible Investment

“Shared Prosperity through Inclusive Business: How Successful Companies Reach the Base of the Pyramid summarizes the practical lessons learned from IFC clients that successfully reach low-income people as suppliers or customers. There are lessons for each phase of the value chain—including procurement, product development, distribution and retail, and marketing and sales. The lessons—each of them illustrated with a profile of an IFC client—can also be adapted to the context of a particular sector or region.”

8. The Top Ten Global Health Supply Chain Issues: Perspectives from the Field

By: ScienceDirect

Released: December 2014

Report Purchase Link: Here (Can be accessed by signing up at the website)

Report Overview: Here

Sector: Access to Healthcare

“The research article, entitled “The top ten global health supply chain issues: Perspectives form the field,” has been published in Operations Research for Health Care, an academic journal. It sheds light on the key areas of weakness and what specifically is needed to strengthen the pharmaceutical supply chains.”

9. Wealth: Having it All and Wanting More

By: Oxfam International

Released: January 2015

Available: Here

Report Link: Here

Report Overview: Here

Sector: Impact Investment, Wealth Inequality

“Wealth: Having It All and Wanting More, a research paper published today by Oxfam, shows that the richest 1 percent have seen their share of global wealth increase from 44 percent in 2009 to 48 percent in 2014 and at this rate will be more than 50 percent in 2016. Members of this global elite had an average wealth of $2.7 million per adult in 2014.

Of the remaining 52 percent of global wealth, almost all (46 percent) is owned by the rest of the richest fifth of the world’s population. The other 80 percent share just 5.5 percent and had an average wealth of $3,851 per adult – that’s 1/700th of the average wealth of the 1 percent.

The international agency is calling on government to adopt a seven point plan to tackle inequality:

• Clamp down on tax dodging by corporations and rich individuals
• Invest in universal, free public services such as health and education
• Share the tax burden fairly, shifting taxation from labour and consumption towards    capital and wealth
• Introduce minimum wages and move towards a living wage for all workers
• Introduce equal pay legislation and promote economic policies to give women a fair deal
• Ensure adequate safety-nets for the poorest, including a minimum income guarantee
• Agree a global goal to tackle inequality.”

10. Rapid Routes to Scale: Scaling Up Primary Care to Improve Health in Low and Middle Income Countries

By: ICSF (International Centre for Social Franchising)

Released: January 2015

Available: Here

Report Link: Here

Sector: Access to Healthcare

“The research explores a range of innovative programs and uncovers successful strategies to scale up affordable, quality primary care models in the developing world. It is the first in-depth study of its kind. Primary care initiatives are ineffectively scattered and unless they can be scaled up, local communities have to ‘reinvent the wheel’, says the report.

Strong primary care programs create lasting health benefits for communities, including reducing maternal mortality rates, reducing the spread of infectious disease and improving the life expectancy and quality of life of people with chronic diseases. Yet such programs face challenges due to low profit margins, competition from the informal health sector and low prestige in comparison with specialty medicine.

For the first time this report gives good evidence on how to expand primary care. Solutions include branding and marketing, franchising, providing alternative payment options for patients, and strategic partnering. The report recommends ways to promote the scale up of primary care – essential for improving the health of millions in developing countries.”

11. Global Sustainable Investment Review

By: GSIA (Global Sustainable Investment Alliance)

Released: February 2015

Available: Here

Report Link: Here

Report Overview: Here

Sector: Impact Investment, Sustainable Investment

“In early 2013, the Global Sustainable Investment Association (GSIA) released the Global Sustainable Investment Review 2012, the first report to collate the results from the market studies of regional sustainable investment forums for Europe, the United States, Canada, Asia, Japan, Australasia and Africa. In the period since the launch of the inaugural study, the global sustainable investment market has continued to grow both in absolute and relative terms, rising from $13.3 trillion1 at the outset of 2012 to $21.4 trillion at the start of 2014, and from 21.5 percent to 30.2 percent of the professionally managed assets in the regions covered. Over this two-year period, the fastest growing region has been the United States, followed by Canada and Europe. These three regions are also the largest regions in terms of assets, accounting for 99 percent of global sustainable investing assets.”

12. Aging and Financial Inclusion: An Opportunity

By: HelpAge International and Centre for Financial Inclusion at Accion

Released: February 2015

Report Link: Here

Report Overview: Here

Sector: Access to Finance, Financial Inclusion

“Incomes for older people are unpredictable and varied, and a variety of financial services could support the strategies older people employ to make ends meet. Financial services providers, however, are cautious about their engagement with older people because of concerns about financial capability, income instability, and physiological issues. At the same time, social pensions, while quickly growing in reach, are currently inadequate to meet the needs of older people. These realities are challenging, but they also signal market opportunities that the financial sector has the potential to address. Effective solutions will be found in cooperation between the public and private sector, in creative design of financial services, in early interventions to encourage participation in long-term saving and contributory pensions, and in a continued commitment to knowledge-sharing between the financial services sector, older persons’ associations, and support organizations. This report presents the findings of the joint project on aging and financial inclusion from the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion

(CFI) and HelpAge International with support from the MetLife Foundation. The project was prompted by the demographic review carried out as part of CFI’s Financial Inclusion 2020 project, which drew attention to the rapidly aging global population and to the immediate challenges aging poses, particularly in middle income countries.”

13.   Sustainable Signals: The Individual Investor Perspective

By: Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing

Released: February 2015

Report Link: Here

Report Overview: Here

Sector: Impact Investment, Socially Responsible Investment

“Individual investors have a positive, but conflicted, view of sustainable investing • 71% of individual investors are interested in sustainable investing • 54% believe choosing between sustainability and financial gains is a trade-off Millennial investors are on the leading edge of adoption and females are substantially more likely than males to factor sustainability into their investment decision process • Compared to the overall individual investor population, Millennial investors are nearly 2x more likely to invest in companies or funds that target specific social or environmental outcomes • Female investors are nearly 2x as likely as male investors to consider both rate of return and positive impact when making an investment Demand for sustainable investing is expected to increase • 65% of individual investors expect sustainable investing to become more prevalent in the next five years”

14.  State of the Industry 2014: Mobile Financial Services for the Unbanked

By: GSMA, supported by the Gates, MasterCard Foundations and Omidyan Network (Authors: Claire Scharwatt, Arunjay Katakam, Jennifer Frydrych, Alix Murphy, and Nika Naghavi)

Released: March 2015

Available: Here

Report Link: Here

Sector: Access to ICT, Access to Finance, Social Enterprise

“MMU has been tracking the progress of the mobile money industry since 2011. Each year, MMU’s State of the Industry report contains key findings and insights on the growth of the industry, including for mobile money, mobile insurance, mobile credit and mobile savings.

As the industry moves on one more year, exciting new developments are taking place. In 2014, the mobile financial services sector continued to expand, boosted by the creation of more enabling regulatory frameworks in several markets. Now available in over 60% of developing markets, mobile financial services (MFS) are firmly established in the financial sectors of the majority of the developing world.”

15.   Ending an Epidemic: Overcoming the Barriers to an HCV Free Future

By: Yale’s Global Health Justice Partnership

Released: 2015

Report Link: Here

Report Overview: Here

Sector: Access to Healthcare

“Hepatitis C (HCV) afflicts more than five times as many people as HIV—approximately 185 million people worldwide.1 The epidemic extends to both rich and poor countries, but the burden is greatest in middle-income countries (MICs).2 Nearly a half a million people die every year from HCV-related causes, including cirrhosis and liver cancer.3 Despite the size of the epidemic, HCV has received comparatively little attention in the global health community until recently. As curing HCV becomes increasingly feasible, it is time for the global health community to take action to ensure that HCV treatment is affordable and accessible to all individuals infected with HCV, particularly disproportionately affected populations such as people who inject drugs (PWID). Towards this end, this paper identifies the following key steps that national and international actors must take in order for DAAs to deliver on their promise.”

• 16. 2015 Canadian Responsible Investment Trends Report

By: Responsible Investment Association

Released: 2015

Report Link: Here

Report Overview: Here

Sector: Impact Investment, Socially Responsible Investment

“The 2015 Canadian Responsible Investment Trends Report reveals that Canada’s responsible investment (RI) market is experiencing rapid growth.

Highlights

• $1 trillion in RI assets under management
• 68% increase in two years
• 31% of Canadian investment industry
• RI mutual fund assets up 52.3% vs. 29.8% for non-RI mutual funds.
• Retail assets over $60 billion
• Pension fund assets utilizing RI strategies up 70% in two years
• Canadian impact investment assets now stand at $4.13 billion, reflecting 9.5% growth since 2012.
• 87% of impact investors who target competitive returns either met or outperformed expectations in 2013.”

Did we miss any? Comment and let us know!