Sustainable Business

An Academic Perspective on Blended Finance and Impact Investing

In this podcast episode, we delve into a deep conversation about the evolution of blended finance over the years. We explore early structures such as the world’s first social impact bond in Peterborough, among others, and discuss concessional finance’s role in uplifting individuals out of poverty through

Center on Business and Poverty Index

Click on the highlighted words right below this sentence to see how the index model works.

Copy of Center on Business and Poverty Index – Updated 03-02

The Center on Business and Poverty, in cooperation with students and a wonderful professor at Vanderbilt University, have invested a great deal of time and effort to create an

Chevening and Gurukul Programmes Alumni Reunion January 2024

Individuals from the Chevening Research, Science and Innovation Leadership Fellowship Programme (CRISP), in conjunction with the Gurukul Programme alums who studied at Oxford University held their first ever joint reunion, recently, in Kochi, India.  Including Chevening administrators and staff from Oxford, we had 28 who came from all over to attend.

Chevening is an organization established

2024-02-14T12:28:03-06:00

How To Make America More Affordable

For the last two years, the debate on the economy has centered around inflation.

After reaching a 40-year high last summer, inflation as measured by economists is now approaching normal levels. But despite the rapid slowdown, millions still feel squeezed by a decades-long affordability crisis.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans struggled to afford sky-high prices

Interview with Amita Dahiya, Project Lead (Entrepreneurship) Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership, XLRI

John Hoffmire: I’m always interested to hear how someone’s career evolves and, in some ways, changes direction. I often refer to such a career path as “following the current” as in the current of a river. It seems like your career has been a bit like that, would you agree?

Amita: Yes, I think I would agree that

Inequality and Poverty

While the steep rise of inequality in the United States is well-known, long-run data on the incomes of the richest shows countries have followed a variety of trajectories. Here are four articles, written by Joe Hasell for Our World in Data, that explore a wide range of indicators on inequality and poverty

Businesses Addressing Poverty in India

India is a country with a rich cultural heritage and a fast-growing population and economy. However, it still faces a enormous challenge of poverty. According to the World Bank, in 2018, about 44.8% of India’s population lived below the international poverty line of $1.90 per day.  Those are the most up-to-fate figures since India

Creating Sustainable Jobs: A Key to Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

Breaking the cycle of poverty requires addressing the root causes of poverty and providing individuals and communities with the resources they need to build better lives. One of the most effective ways to do this is by creating sustainable jobs that provide stable employment opportunities and access to the resources needed to build assets and

Half of American households have no retirement savings

In 2019, about half of American households had no savings in retirement accounts, according to the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). These accounts include individual retirement accounts; Keogh accounts; certain employer-sponsored accounts, such as 401(k), 403(b), thrift savings accounts; and pensions.

Personal saving has grown more important as

What is Participatory Capitalism?

The Macmillan Dictionary defines participatory as allowing or encouraging everyone to take part in something. The Collins English Dictionary says that capitalism is an economic and political system in which property, business, and industry are owned by private individuals. So, one can properly assume that participatory capitalism is encouraging everyone to take part in an

2022-07-04T13:11:27-05:00

CSV


We are at the initial stages of starting CSV. Please, if you know of temporary firms in the US and Europe that place international graduates with employers, please contact John Hoffmire at hoffmire@wisc.edu. We are especially trying to place graduates with programming and other computer technology skills.

Visit the CSV website

2021-12-08T11:31:40-06:00

MBA Social Impact Programs

1. Duke University – Fuqua School of Business
Background: The Fuqua School of Business focuses on preparing leaders to achieve lasting social change, with an orientation toward social entrepreneurship, impact investing, and global health.
Social Impact Center: Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE)
Categories: Executive MBA and Top US Schools
Website: https://centers.fuqua.duke.edu/case/

2. INSEAD
Background:

2022-07-21T14:09:11-05:00

An interview with Sreedevi Devireddy, Founding Chief Executive Officer, SR Innovation Exchange, the technology-business incubator of SR University, Warangal

John Hoffmire: In the three years since I met you as a fellow of the Chevening Research Science and Innovation Leadership Programme (CRISP) at Oxford University, you created and have steered SR Innovation Exchange (SRiX) to a level where you are receiving international recognition. Please tell me more about that.

Sreedevi: I explain it this way:

Empowering Women and Social Enterprise in India so Both Can Thrive During the Pandemic

In its 72 years of independence, India has shown its unprecedented prowess in building a modern, democratic nation. It has lifted millions out of poverty, is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and has increased its global influence by becoming a member of the G20

An interview with Sachinder (Sachin) Mohan Sharma, Group General Manager at the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL)

John Hoffmire: I’ve been on trains in India but I still can’t fathom the scale of what you must manage as the Group General Manager at the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL). Tell me more about what you do.

Sachin: The Government of India has entrusted DFCCIL with construction, maintenance and operation of

An interview with Sushrut Vaidya, innovation leader with one of the largest technology companies in the world

John Hoffmire: One of the things that always impresses me when I sit down with a CRISP scholar is the interdisciplinary learning that each of you have engaged in. You are no exception. You’ve gone from a Bachelor of Engineering, to printing technology and graphic communication, technology management, Indology and Buddhist studies. Then on to consulting

An interview with Suphiya Khan, Associate Professor, Banasthali University, India, and Founding Director at Drumlins Water Technologies Pvt LTD

 John Hoffmire: When I met you in Oxford two years ago, if I remember right, you were working on providing safer drinking water throughout India. Is that still one of your priorities?

Suphiya: You remember right. In India, as in many other parts of the world, water scarcity is considered a major crisis in the 21st

More youth in north turn to innovative startups

More youth from the Northern Province are turning to innovative startups under the initiative of Yarl IT Hub (YIT), originally set up in 2013.

They are made competitive via the Yarl Geek Challenge Accelerator which runs for six months for a selected cohort of early-stage startups twice a year.

During these six months, the startups will be

An interview with Ananth Aravamudan, Energy Sector Lead, Villgro Innovations Foundation and an alum of the Chevening Research Science and Innovation Leadership Programme (CRISP)

John Hoffmire: You’ve had an interesting journey from electrical engineer to being the energy sector lead for Villgro Innovations Foundation, India’s oldest and one of the world’s largest social enterprise incubators. Please tell me about that journey?

Ananth: I started out as an electronics engineer by training. I spent 14 years in the IT/Tech sector at

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