"Our ANDE South Africa Impact Management Knowledge Brief provides a summary and resources from the 'Impact Management for the South African social and creative enterprises sectors' project, in partnership with Social Value UK and supported by the British Council's DICE Fund. The project aimed to further understand the Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) landscape in South Africa, with a focus on social and creative enterprises. In the efforts to drive inclusivity and development, the project supported entrepreneurial support organisations that wanted to learn how to better measure and manage their impact and, in turn, support their entrepreneurs when using data to improve their decisions and performance, regardless of their level of exposure to IMM practices."

"Within the entrepreneurial community there is growing recognition of the benefits of diversity, and more specifically of investing in women and gender equality. Despite this rising interest, most investors and intermediaries working with social enterprises and small and growing businesses (SGBs) are still in the early stages of understanding how best to incorporate a gender lens. This knowledge brief aims to share lessons and innovations from the Brazilian ecosystem on bringing a gender lens to supporting Brazilian SGBs. It focuses on four key topics, which emerged through a series of engagements, convened by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and supported by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), to catalyse thought leadership on gender inclusion and investing in Brazil."

"This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the short-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses worldwide with a focus on developing countries. The results are based on a novel data set collected by the World Bank Group and several partner institutions in 51 countries covering more than 100,000 businesses. The paper provides several stylized facts. First, the COVID-19 shock has been severe and widespread across firms, with persistent negative impact on sales. Second, the employment adjustment has operated mostly along the intensive margin (that is leave of absence and reduction in hours), with a small share of firms laying off workers. Third, smaller firms are disproportionately facing greater financial constraints. Fourth, firms are increasingly relying on digital solutions as a response to the shock. Fifth, there is great uncertainty about the future, especially among firms that have experienced a larger drop in sales, which is associated with job losses. These findings provide a better understanding of the magnitude and distribution of the shock, the main channels affecting businesses, and how firms are adjusting. The paper concludes by discussing some avenues for future research."

"Este estudo explora como o setor de SGB pode contribuir para o alcance do ODS 8 e como as organizações de apoio às SGBs podem ajudá-las a contribuírem com esse mesmo objetivo."

"ANDE, the Center for Development Alternatives, Enterprise Uganda, and Koltai & Company released the Phase I findings of ANDE's Uganda Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Initiative on November 28. The Phase I report maps the entrepreneurial ecosystems of Kampala and Gulu—two key regions for Ugandan economic growth. It then outlines a strategic path forward for promoting entrepreneurship in these regions, recommending specific actions to overcome ecosystem constraints. The second phase of the initiative will use these findings to design and implement a multi-stakeholder, multi-million-euro program to develop Ugandan entrepreneurship, beginning in 2019. Read the full report."

"This report reviews the state of measurement as of 2014 in two types of organizations that directly support small and growing businesses (SGBs) - impact investors and capacity development providers. Using a mixed-methods approach, ANDE collected data and interviewed over 30 organizations across these two categories, and analyzed key trends in measurement practice."

"The Middlebury Institute's Center for Social Impact Learning in partnership with SVT Group report offers a shortcut to practical information about how impact investors are tracking and reporting their social and environmental impact today. The report also includes advice from impact investors to those new to the field, and summarizes the history of impact investing, key terms and concepts in impact measurement, and trends, and provides a practical guide to the most relevant publications."

"The effect of COVID-19 on economies around the world has been unprecedented. While evidence on this impact is only beginning to emerge, it is clear that the economic damage has been particularly severe for SGBs in emerging markets. This issue brief summarizes initial evidence regarding the impact of COVID-19 on SGBs and the SGB support sector more broadly in emerging markets. Read the brief, which summarizes current risks, impacts, and needs so that organizations and individuals who support SGBs can ensure more effective interventions.This report was prepared as part of the Aspen Partnership for an Inclusive Economy, with generous support from the initiative’s founding partner Mastercard."

"In May 2020, ANDE released an issue brief summarizing initial evidence from the first phase of the crisis in March and April 2020 regarding the impact of COVID-19 on SGBs and the SGB support sector more broadly in emerging markets. As the crisis and its effects on the sector continue to develop, we are working to keep updating information with new data and insights. This addendum to the brief presents new data collected in May-June 2020 from ANDE members regarding their needs, actions they are taking, and updated impressions of the impact that the crisis is having and will have on the sector."

"This report dives into how impact investing is at an inflection point, building off the rich histories of community finance in the United States and other countries, microfinance, international development, and the integration of ESG factors (Environmental, Social and Governance) in institutional portfolios more broadly. For over 30 years, these practices have been laying the foundation for an expanded continuum of investor options for thematic and asset allocations into privately-owned investments structured for financial returns and social and environmental impacts."