Too complex and prone to manipulation? Or a brilliant way to tackle thorny social issues? Opinions on social impact bonds remain divided. The UK's Government Outcomes Lab has spent six years studying the evidence...
INTERVIEW: The Conservative MP – and former charity boss – is among the cheerleaders in Westminster for social enterprise and social investment. Is the rest of Boris Johnson's government ready to listen? We caught up with Danny Kruger to find out.
New research on value of UK impact bonds, estimating ten-fold return for government, delights Boris Johnson. But some say it's not clear if financing structure itself is what’s creating the value – nor how many proposed contracts are in the ‘graveyard’.
IMPACT 101: Bewildered by buzzwords? Drowning in jargon? Our experts help you get back to basics on impact economy concepts. This month, Michael Gibson from the Government Outcomes Lab has the lowdown on outcomes funds.
The UK is weary of social impact bonds. But, says Dr Chih Hoong Sin, exciting innovations in other parts of the world should inspire the country of their birth to take a fresh look at what they can achieve.
BSC says it wants to hit £15bn of social investment by 2025. Stephen Muers tells us why that means going beyond “small and fiddly” investments, why dormant assets cash may not be needed – and why recent criticism isn't a reason to change course.
Former investment banker Gareth Davies says UK wholesaler should broaden scope to ‘enhance profits’, one of many sweeping changes he proposes to boost social investment. But BSC says it’s already ‘picking winners’ while putting impact first.
Support to social investment in the UK began in earnest just over 20 years ago. As efforts to expand the market continue unabated, what can we learn from two decades of experience – and what questions should we be asking now?
PLUS: Resonance makes raft of SITR investments ahead of crunch time for relief scheme; first impact fund for French investment firm Founders Future; Dutch social impact bond repays investors; new Conduit EIS Impact Fund; and more.
