The Inclusive Growth Initiative (Inclusion, Inc.) offers the opportunity for a select number of exceptional Fletcher students to conduct original research and analysis around the world as a part of the IBGC Global Research Fellowship. Read the reports from the Fellowship’s first two years below.
CIRCULAR 331: $500+ MILLION TO CREATE LEBANON’S KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY? (2016)
Research Conducted by Nadim Choucair (MALD ’17) and Tom Flynn (MALD ’17)
With almost no warning, Banque du Liban (BdL), the Lebanese central bank, issued Circular 331 in August 2013. Designed to foster a knowledge-based economy (KBE), Circular 331 is a guarantee scheme to increase equity investment into Lebanese start-ups. As of the end of 2015, it has made over $500 million available. While often hailed as a success by those who benefit from it, complaints have arisen.
WALKING ON THIN ICE: ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NUNAVIK (2016)
Research Conducted by Nathan Cohen-Fournier (MIB ’17)
The Arctic is increasingly attracting considerable international attention as global warming makes resources more accessible and Arctic maritime transportation a reality. The dynamics of globalization have fundamentally transformed the lifestyle of Arctic inhabitants. Nunavik, the land that spreads through a third of Québec’s immense province up to the Arctic Circle, has entered very quickly into a post-industrial world, creating a fracture between the old and the new.
MOBILIZING BANKING FOR INDONESIA’S POOR (2014)
Research Conducted by Michael Mori (MALD ’15) and Trevor Zimmer (MALD ’15)
Indonesia is the largest market in Southeast Asia and a member of the G20, yet it has one of the biggest underbanked populations in the world. Only 20% of Indonesia’s 243 million people were banked as of 2011. Most are financially excluded, exposed to risk and left to manage their financial portfolios with mostly inefficient informal services. Formal financial services have the potential to improve the livelihoods of millions.
MORE THAN MEETS THE EVIL EYE: BUSINESS PRACTICES & CONSTRAINTS OF SMES IN TURKEY (2014)
Research Conducted by Sarah Willis-Ertür (MALD ’14) and Jennie Vader (MALD ’14)
Turkey has a window of opportunity to facilitate progress and growth in established small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and leverage their success to propel Turkey’s economy. As Turkey continues to define itself as an emerging market, negotiating its position between Europe and the Middle East, SMEs will prove to be a very important and strategic sector.
Download the Report Download the Turkish Version
NAVIGATING NAIROBI: DIGITAL INNOVATION IN URBAN TRANSPORT LOGISTICS IN KENYA (2014)
Research Conducted by Anisha Baghudana (MIB ’15) and Julia Leis (MALD ’14)
Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, is facing critical transportation challenges. Traffic-related congestion, high road fatality rates, and an unregulated mass transit network have been critical issues for a long time in East Africa’s most populous city. Rapid urbanization has aggravated these problems, resulting in a highly inefficient and inequitable transport system. Amidst these problems, there lies the potential for startup innovation to play a pivotal role in alleviating major pain points in urban transportation.
CASH IN CONTEXT: UNCOVERING FINANCIAL SERVICES IN MYANMAR (2013)
Research Conducted by Tommy Galloway (MALD ’14)
This report takes a broad qualitative approach to understanding Myanmar’s financial services market, and the use of financial services in different population segments. Building from academic research and a series of 72 informational and field interviews, the report aims to paint a picture of Myanmar’s unique relationship to financial services.