Investing for Impact

This is the second edition in a series of podcasts from CDC Environmental and Social Responsibility team. This episode focuses on labor and working conditions, where we discuss what good looks like and what is the value for companies of good labor practices.

This is the first edition in a series of podcasts from our Environmental and Social Responsibility team, which focuses on how businesses can benefit from introducing high sustainability standards. Here, we speak to Mark Goldsmith – the founder of Five Oak, a sustainability consultancy – about how environmental, social and governance (ESG) has evolved over the years, where environmental and social...

Economic growth across African countries is under half that of the South Asian economies, while Africa has double the portion of unemployed. If the continent is to achieve decent work for all, it needs more formal firms creating quality jobs for the millions of people entering the labour market every year. New research from the Africa Programme at Chatham House (available from 8 September) looks a...

A decade or so of 'Africa rising' - a period of high growth for the majority of the largest economies on the continent - has given way to a more nuanced picture. A recent study from McKinsey Global Institute finds that some countries have continued to grow, while others have experienced a slowdown. In this podcast we look at this McKinsey report - called Lions on the Move II - and ask whether we c...

Earlier this year, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency said improving building standards should be the world's number one priority when it comes to tackling climate change. The opportunity for introducing measures to improve buildings standards is particularly strong in developing countries, where the demand for construction is greater because populations are growing quickly...

It's difficult to dispute that everyone working in supply chains - whether businesses or individuals - should get a fair deal for the work or service that they provide. But often it can be difficult to define what exactly that deal should look like. In this podcast we hear from the Ethical Trading Initiative's Peter McAllister about what makes a quality job, before looking at two different approac...

Having access to reliable and affordable electricity has a transformative effect on people's lives. It means families can light homes and businesses can grow and create jobs. It's an important issue and one that is covered in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. But, with around two billion people in the world without access to reliable power, achieving it comes with challenges. In t...

What does the future hold for investment in Africa? With 11 million people entering the labour market every year in Africa, investment is needed in order to provide jobs and opportunities for this expanding workforce. Added to that, the population is expected to continue to keep rising rapidly - with 2.2bn expected to live on the continent by 2030 - levels of investment need to be sustained now an...

Although progress is being made in supporting women's economic empowerment, there is still a great deal of work to be done. Initiatives like the United Nations panel, International Women's Day and improving access to financial services have made an impact but where can improvements be made? In this podcast we explore some of the barriers standing in the way of closing the gender gap and look at ho...