The Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development (NDIGD), in collaboration with the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship, is partnering with Tides and the U.S. Department of State’s new Accelerating Market-Driven Partnerships (AMP) program.
The Global Partnership Initiative in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of State co-founded AMP as a new approach to unlock economic value while delivering positive social and environmental impact.
As their initial project, AMP is working to facilitate investments in social enterprises in Brazil. In order to support this work, it is important to understand the depth and breadth of the “impact investing” market in Brazil.
As part of this project, the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship will help conduct research on the impact investing ecosystem in Brazil. The Gigot Center in the Mendoza College of Business provides an ideal resource for providing quality research to support the work of AMP due to its signature courses in entrepreneurship, faculty expertise, and close-knit alumni network throughout the world.
In spring 2013, a team of students will conduct research for the AMP project in Brazil. Through a combination of classroom lectures during the course, in-class exercises, classroom discussions, field work, tutorials, and guest lectures, students will be engaged in advancing the field of social and micro enterprise.
The research course will be taught by Melissa Paulsen and Frank Belatti in the Mendoza College of Business. The research team will also be advised by Dr. Tamo Chattopadhay who is currently conducting additional research related to educational advancement in Brazil.
The student team research will help answer questions relating to the investment dollars available, the potential sources of funds, the sectors where dollars are being invested, the largest limited partners and the potential expected rates of return.
The research could help to identify gaps in the marketplace and determine where entrepreneurial opportunities can be found.
AMP facilitates collaboration among innovative businesses, governments and civil society to conduct analysis, connect innovators, mobilize resources, source solutions, and transfer experience. This pilot will serve as a new paradigm of engagement with emerging economies to stimulate sustainable, inclusive economic growth through partnership. It will be replicated in other emerging economies in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
Contact: Michael Sweikar, NDIGD Managing Director msweikar@nd.edu