This publication is a sequel to the OECD 2015 report on social impact investment (SII), Building the Evidence Base, bringing new evidence on the role of SII in financing sustainable development.

Social impact investing is gaining ground as one of the most important investment trends in the world. While the size of the social impact investing market is still relatively small in global terms, momentum continues to grow unabated. Australia in particular is looking to develop a vibrant and transparent social impact investment market. This book considers a number of innovative strategies and pragmatic policy initiatives that can see the social impact investment market flourish in Australia and internationally. The book describes how social impact investing can enter the investment mainstream and how a high-quality regulatory framework governing the measurement, reporting and evaluation of social impact will be critical to building investor confidence and ensuring the credibility, effectiveness and transparency of this market. It also examines different approaches to measurement and evaluation that will ultimately be critical to the success of this market. The authors also recognise that governments have a pivotal role to play in growing the social impact investing market, not only in its capacity as a market facilitator and regulator but also as an active purchaser of social outcomes. This book will be informative for those who wish to learn more about how governments, private investors, investment intermediaries, social enterprises, service providers and other market participants around the world can work together to initiate and grow a vibrant, transparent and well-functioning social impact investing market.

Discover how to invest your capital to achieve a powerful, lasting impact on the world. The Global Handbook of Impact Investing: Solving Global Problems Via Smarter Capital Markets Towards A More Sustainable Society is an insightful guide to the growing world-wide movement of Impact Investing. Impact investors seek to realize lasting, beneficial improvements in society by allocating capital to sources of impactful and sustainable profit. This Handbook is a how-to guide for institutional investors, including family offices, foundations, endowments, governments, and international organizations, as well as academics, students, and everyday investors globally. The Handbook ́s wide-ranging contributions from around the world make a powerful case for positive impact and profit to fund substantive, lasting solutions that solve critical problems across the world. Edited by two experienced and distinguished professionals in the sustainable investing arena and authored by two dozen renowned experts from finance, academia, and multilateral organizations from around the world, the Global Handbook of Impact Investing educates, inspires, and spurs action towards more responsible investing across all asset classes, resulting in smarter capital markets, including how to: · Realize positive impact and profit · Integrate impact into investment decision-making and portfolio · Allocate impactful investments across all asset classes · Apply unique Impact Investing frameworks · Measure, evaluate and report on impact · Learn from case examples around the globe · Pursue Best Practices in Impact Investing and impact reporting While other resources may take a local or limited approach to the subject, this Handbook gathers global knowledge and results from public and private institutions spanning five continents. The authors also make a powerful case for the ability of Impact Investing to lead to substantive and lasting change that addresses critical problems across the world.

Sustainable investments, although not yet working under a comprehensive regulatory framework, represent a growing, worldwide phenomenon. Such growth reflects the renewed public and private interest in environmental issues such as climate change, poverty and financial inclusion, as well as growing support from conscious investors looking to finance environmental and social initiatives. However, despite the interest that sustainable investments are gaining among governors, investors and practitioners, important challenges remain that must be addressed. Comprising a collection of research presented at the 2nd Social Impact Investments International Conference, this contributed volume offers a global analysis of the current state of the sustainable finance sector, proposing solutions to challenging obstacles and exploring topics including impact investing, social impact bonds and green banking. Providing real-life case studies from Europe, Latin America and Africa, this book is an insightful and timely read for scholars interested in sustainable finance, social impact investing, development finance and alternative finance.

This book aims to fill the literature gap on digital instruments and FinTech in enhancing green finance. ​Technological innovation can increase transparency, accountability, and speed, decentralize the financial system, improve risk management, increase competition, lower costs, improve efficiency, increase cross-sectoral collaboration and integration, and scale up green finance. Artificial intelligence (AI), distributed ledger technologies (DLT) or blockchain, peer-to-peer lending platforms, big data, Internet-based and mobile-based payment platforms, Internet of Things (IoT), matchmaking platforms including crowdlending, tokenizing green assets are potential means to scale up the green finance for achieving the SDGs. The COVID-19 pandemic, the economic downturns, and the uncertainties shrank the new investments in renewable energy projects globally. Low investment in renewable energy projects could threaten the expansion of green energy needed to provide energy security and meet SDG7 and SDG13. Investments in renewable energy projects are scarce because of several risks and a low rate of return. Although several new green financing solutions such as green bonds, green banks, green credit guarantee, carbon taxation, carbon trade, village funds, and community trust funds have been established in different countries, these are insufficient, and alternative ways to finance projects are required. The book provides several high-quality studies on utilizing digitalization, FinTech, financial innovations, and other new technologies to fill the finance gap of green projects to meet the SDG goals. The chapters are written by scholars in diverse countries and regions and include practical policy recommendations.

This book explores the history of social impact measurement, offering justifications for the use of social impact measurement in modern society. It seeks to uncover the tensions inherent in social impact measurement, especially between creating and measuring social value creation. As the world becomes ever more globalised in its focus to deliver sustainable solutions to social and environmental problems, frameworks such as the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide basic structure through which social impact can be assessed and compared globally. Nevertheless, constructive critiques of such approaches are required to ensure that they do not misinform stakeholders, disenfranchise the disadvantaged and exacerbate existing social problems. In providing this overview, the book seeks to offer a critical review of the social impact measurement field centred on concepts of ‘empowerment’ and ‘social action’ (Weber, 1978), whilst also demonstrating best practice and potential pitfalls to policymakers and practitioners.