This article originally appeared on Pioneers Post.
From Seoul to Singapore and Delhi to Dhaka, governments across Asia are waking up to the role that social enterprise and social investment can play in delivering more sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Jonathan Wong of UNESCAP, Alex Hannant of Akina and Tristan Ace of the British Council discuss.
Governments are recognising that although economic growth rates in Asia are the envy of the world, the unintended consequences of rising income inequality and environmental impact can no longer be ignored.
In this context, governments are beginning to reimagine the role that they can play in directing the entrepreneurial spirit that exists in Asia towards addressing some of the most pressing challenges faced by the continent through social entrepreneurship. They are also looking at how to accelerate the flow of capital to help scale up the solutions that are being created by these social entrepreneurs.
In this podcast, we explore some of the key drivers for social enterprise and social investment in the Asia-Pacific region. And, as New Zealand is hosting this year's Social Enterprise World Forum in September, we take a closer look at social enterprise in New Zealand.
The discussion is led by Tristan Ace, global social enterprise partnerships and development manager at the British Council. He is joined by Jonathan Wong, senior advisor on science, technology and innovation with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia Pacific (ESCAP), and Alex Hannant, chief executive of New Zealand's Akina Foundation.
The podcast was recorded at the Asia Policy Forum in Bangkok on 7 June 2017.
Originally published November 20, 2017
