Social Enterprise in Asia Context and Opportunities, 2009

This is a paper contextualizing the efforts to develop a methodology for measuring social impact of sustainable SEs in Asia. This is written by Prof. Durreen Shahnaz & Dr. Ming Tan.

Summary

This project, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, will critique existing “best-in-class” social impact measurement methodologies and propose the effective social valuation method for sustainable SEs in Asia. Given that the funders, investors or the recipients so far have not effectively measured the social accomplishments of these SEs, the development of an appropriate, meaningful and comparable methodology is crucial. Integral to the success of such a methodology would be the support and uptake of all players in the ecosystem. This paper, by providing the foundational understanding of the pressures, demands and opportunities of the ecosystem within which Asian SEs operate, allows an exploration of how such a methodology will be used within key users in the Asian context.