Welcome

2021 – COVID-19 Update

As one of many responses to the academic restrictions imposed by COVID-19, the Market Solutions of Inclusive Societies class will not be offered in 2021. Once the pandemic has cleared, we hope to be able to resume our class. In the meantime, many thanks to the 50 project hosts who helped guide 150 students over the years in the challenges and excitement of social enterprise ventures. Particular thanks to the leadership and staff at the Macmillan Center and the Jackson Institute at Yale, without whose determination and creativity an experimental class like this would not have been possible. Please stay tuned for updates or email Bo Hopkins directly at rkhopkins3@gmail.com.


AFST 305/6

Market Solutions for Inclusive Societies

Harnessing the power of markets in the fight against poverty has been an area of much study and experimentation over the past 40 years.  Increasingly, business innovators are using market-based practices as a means to bring sustainable social benefits to locally impoverished regions of the world and provide a financial return to investors.   Commensurately, many socially-oriented and innovation-minded investment groups are looking for these types of investments – bringing additional capital to this nascent marketplace.  Philanthropic organizations and corporations also seek development of a more unified system of metrics to measure the impact of grants, program related investments or base of the pyramid investments.  Through required readings and case study examples, this class will explore the increasing importance of enterprise solutions as a means of fostering local empowerment to establish the building blocks of regional economic development.

Bridge Photo