PROFITS AND ALMS: CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS FOR GLOBAL POVERTY REDUCTION

A growing movement commends a targeted business-oriented approach as the best chance to reduce global poverty. It offers the promise of dual returns-empowerment for the world's neediest citizens and earned income for investors in pro-poor ventures at the same time. This appealing vision may underplay the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration to make it work. There is no unambiguous free-standing business paradigm for helping the poor better themselves. A review of previously documented cases shows the market-oriented approach can reach low-income and socially excluded households, but the payoff usually depends on cross-sector subsidies from non-profit or government organizations. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.