Позитивные изменения. Том 3, № 4 (2023). Positive changes. Volume 3, Issue 4(2023)

To implement this in practice, Irene suggests leveraging resources accumulated by the OECD over the last two decades. A substantial pool of methodologies and case studies has been gathered to advance public policy supporting social entrepreneurship and the social economy. Many of these resources are accessible on the publicly available platform, The Better Entrepreneurship Policy Tool.[83]

Concluding the keynote session, Irene also recalled that in 2020, the OECD initiated the Global Action “Promoting Social and Solidarity Economy Ecosystems,” funded by the European Union’s Foreign Partnership Instrument and spanning over 30 countries, including South Korea. Impact measurement has been identified as a key policy lever for the development of the social economy worldwide.

COUNTING WHAT COUNTS

Alastair Colin-Jones, Director, Economics of Mutuality Solutions (USA), participating in the subsequent session of panel reports and discussions, presented a model of entrepreneurial decentralization. This model requires entrepreneurs to shift their focus from self-gratification to the problem they are addressing, to “fall in love” with this problem, and to commit to it for decades. This poses a legitimate question: is it necessary to live with a problem at all, let alone for so long? It appears that the proposed decentralization concept could effectively transition from commercial activities to social entrepreneurship. However, the focus should not be on the problem as a weakness but rather on the meaning and purpose — the greater reason behind creating a new solution for the world.

For a solution to materialize and produce tangible rather than theoretical effect, it is essential to prove that impact first. Evidence can be collected at each level of the problem. Olga Shirobokova, Lead of Knowledge at Ashoka NGO (USA), uses the metaphor of a tree: the roots represent the underlying causes of a problem; the trunk symbolizes the visible symptoms in society; and the crown signifies the consequences of this problem across various domains.

By gathering evidence at all levels and scaling it for different stakeholders (the problem group itself, its immediate environment, governmental institutions, public perceptions), organizations can comprehensively tackle the challenge at hand.

However, once the data is collected, quantifying it becomes the real challenge.

“What, exactly, are we going to count?” ponders Veerle Klijn, Lead Consultant Social Economy at WEF.

For instance, consider projects providing accessible medicines, jobs, food, and clean water. What can we count in these cases, and more importantly, what should we count? Everything measurable, or rather whatever impact the beneficiary deems important? Measuring the real impact and change in quality of life is a daunting task, beyond doubt. As a result, it is common to focus mainly on financial metrics: income, expenses, profits, and perhaps the number of project participants. This causes companies to concentrate on financial aspects. There are various metrics that show a company’s environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) contributions to society. However, most of these follow the “do no harm” strategy, whereas real social entrepreneurship should focus on the constructive changes a project introduces to the world.

Real social entrepreneurship should focus on the constructive changes a project introduces to the world.

Despite these challenges, Veerle believes in perseverance, especially as multiple impact-measuring metrics have already been developed:

• IRIS, Impact Reporting and Investing Standards;[84]

• SEWF, People and Planet First;[85]

• B-Lab, B-Impact Assessment.[86]

Sam Edom, Consulting Practice Director for Spring Impact (UK), is similarly optimistic. He showcases his company’s success in scaling social projects, emphasizing the difference between growth and scaling: growth typically refers to an increase in the size of the organization/team/project. In this case increasing impact invariably requires more resources to be contributed. Scaling, however, implies reducing resources while increasing impact. The key factor here is human. Scaling impact is only possible with well-established relationships with partners and stakeholders.

This completes the loop, bringing us back to the starting point. The foundation of social business lies in individuals who are willing and able to make the world a better place.

За одним столом, с общими проблемами. Репортаж с Impact Week 2023 в Турине

Екатерина Халецкая

DOI 10.55140/2782–5817–2023–3–4–50–57