Social Impact Investment: Building the Evidence Base

New and innovative approaches are needed for addressing social and economic challenges. Social impact investment has become increasingly relevant in today’s economic setting as social challenges have mounted while public funds in many countries are under pressure. This report provides a framework for assessing the social impact investment market and focuses on the need to build the evidence base. The report highlights the importance of further international collaborations in developing global standards on definitions, data collection, impact measurement and evaluation of policies. In a fast evolving new area, experience sharing between players in the market is also vital. International organisations, such as the OECD can play an important role in facilitating these collaborations as well as conducting further analysis and data collection.

Keywords: social impact investment, impact investment, social finance, social investment, social needs, social challenges

JEL Classification: A13, D60, E22, F30, G10, G20, H00, I00, M13, M10, M14, O16, O20, P00

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Wilson, Karen E. and Silva, Filipe and Ricardson, Dominic, Social Impact Investment: Building the Evidence Base (February 3, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2562082 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2562082