Haniel Seminar: Social Investment and Entrepreneurship

8 Pages Posted: 17 Dec 2009

Date Written: August 1, 2009

Abstract

Based on the premise that we are entering a sustainability age, this course examines the emerging field of social investment, and inquires into the role of entrepreneurship in its constitution and expansion. Achieving social and environmental sustainability on a crowded planet will be the main challenge of the twenty-first century. The human footprint has expanded dramatically over the 100,000 years that our species has been around. The global population has risen from around one million 10,000 years ago to 6.7 billion today and is projected to rise to between 7.8 billion and 10.8 billion by 2050. Our human footprint is bound to grow further. The global economy is expected to grow from USD 77 trillion at purchasing power parity in 2007 to USD 420 trillion in 2050 - provided the crisis facing humanity will not undercut rising living standards and convergence of economic development. Sociologist Anthony Giddens has pointed out that as a result of this expansion of population and associated activities, humanity today lives in an environment after the end of nature - that is, very few aspects of our surrounding material environment have not been affected in some way by human intervention, and as a result, humanity has little choice but to take on the role of active steward of the global ecosystem.

Among other things, the expected expansion of the human footprint is likely to require a shift or adaptation in business models and investment styles. Global change has already impacted the spatial and thematic distribution of investment capital, driving more resources to emerging markets, and into business propositions broadly linked with a philosophy of "doing good and doing well," that is, achieving both a positive social and/or environmental as well as a financial return. Rather than focusing on the more mainstream ethical funds, sustainable investments or publicly-listed socially responsible ventures (commonly aggregated under the umbrella term "socially responsible investments" or SRI), the course analyzes social business and investing, including the emerging concept of "impact investing" - defined as investments that generate social and environmental value as well as financial return, and are not restricted to investments in publicly listed companies. The course is divided in four parts. To be practical, it deploys several case studies. Part one provides the context, looking at social investment as an emerging social field, examining the concept of impact investing in detail. Part two examines the role entrepreneurs play in building the currently emerging social investment ecosystem. Part three defines and analyzes social entrepreneurship and impact investing case studies. Part four asks what the frontiers in social investment are, and where we are headed.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, finance, social investment, sustainability, economic development

JEL Classification: A11, A14, A23, G24, H41, L31, L33, O10, M13

Suggested Citation

Martin, Maximilian, Haniel Seminar: Social Investment and Entrepreneurship (August 1, 2009). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1523851 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1523851

Maximilian Martin (Contact Author)

University of St. Gallen ( email )

Tigerbergstrasse 2
St. Gallen, CH-9000
Switzerland

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