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Posts Tagged: John Simon

 

Portfolios That Make a Difference: John Simon on Impact Investing

December 13, 2010

Posted by in Finance, Private Investment Tags: , ,

John SimonA new approach to investing  is seeking to connect investors with businesses that both make a profit and provide goods and services that advance development. Just what is impact investing? How big can it  get? I’m joined this week by John Simon, a visiting fellow here at the Center for Global Development. Together with co-author Julia Barmeier, he has written a new report that explores the potential of impact investing and offers recommendations for a variety of stakeholders.

John begins by defining impact investments and explaining how they differ from socially responsible investments and from corporate social responsibility programs. Beyond avoiding businesses that engage in morally questionable practices or diverting a portion of corporate profits towards charitable ends, impact capital seeks out companies whose core mission is development. In short, says John, “impact investments seek both a financial return and a social return, and they hold themselves to account for both.” He gives the example of a company that clears overgrown rubbertree plantations in Liberia, improving the land for local farmers and exporting the wood to Europe as a renewable energy source.

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Six Lessons for Disaster Relief in Haiti

January 26, 2010

Posted by in Aid Effectiveness, Inequality, Poverty Tags: , ,

John SimonI’m joined this week by John Simon, a visiting fellow here at the Center for Global Development. Before coming to the Center, John served in a range of influential positions, from U.S. Ambassador to the African Union to Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. During the George W. Bush administration, he was a member of the National Security Council, serving as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Relief, Stabilization, and Development.

That last role placed him at the center of the American response to natural disasters including the 2005 South Asia earthquake and Hurricane Stan. On the Wonkcast, he shares some of the lessons he learned through those experiences, expanding on a blog post he wrote last week (a post I highly recommend reading!).
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