Last month, the Finance Club at London Business School hosted Mr. T. Rabi Sankar (Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India) to discuss the evolution of India’s digital public infrastructure in the context of global integration. Addressing Cross-Border Payment Challenges and India’s Digital Payments Infrastructure Paolo Surico (Professor of Economics at London Business School)…
As part of our International Women’s Day campaign, we interviewed Chinemelu Okafor, PhD candidate at Harvard University, and research collaborator with the Wheeler Institute. As a Nigerian American woman, Chinemelu Okafor’s journey has been marked by the convergence of multiple identities – her womanhood, race, and ethnicity. With an unwavering determination to unraveling the intricacies…
What is the causal effectiveness of large-scale infrastructure development in poverty reduction? On Friday 19th January, British International Investment (BII) hosted the latest Private Sector Development Research Network (PSDRN) seminar on ‘The Impact of Infrastructure on Development Outcomes’. What insights do policy makers require in designing interventions that maximise the developmental impact of infrastructure? What…
Former intern Chris Wright (LBS MBA 2023) reports on his five months travelling across the Indian subcontinent as a DL Labs intern. From conducting research on-the-ground to liaising with high profile entrepreneurs, here’s how the experience informed his understanding of social enterprises. Dharma Life is an NGO driving progress through a network of 17,000 rural…
How might COP28 impact global finance? Last week, the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development hosted ‘COP28 debrief breakfast: what can finance take away from COP28?’, in collaboration with ESG Book and the Climate Bonds Initiative, to explore some possible answers. Characterised by a sense of urgency and a challenging economic environment, COP28 marked a…
Pioneering Layer 1 blockchain Sui has made a $1 million contribution to the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development to support our mission in new and exciting ways. This donation is a part of London Business School’s ambitious and transformational £200 million fundraising campaign, Forever Forward. The Sui Foundation is a pioneering blockchain, responsible for a wide range of…
In November 2023, the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development in conjunction with the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS) hosted a four-part virtual lecture series that delved into the importance of new climate standards for business, with a particular focus on the African continent. In 2021 during COP26 in Glasgow, the Trustees of the IFRS…
In our first two articles about the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Alexandra, we explored the typical challenges faced by microentrepreneurs and informal entrepreneurs operating in South African townships, before looking at the institutional ecosystem in which these entrepreneurs operate. Our third and final post in this 3-part series will explore the way forward: Can the disconnect…
Our previous post on informal entrepreneurship in Alexandra focused on the typical challenges encountered by mainly informal entrepreneurs and microbusiness owners. This second post will focus on the supporting entrepreneurial ecosystem: Who are the key role players, and what kind of support is available to a typical entrepreneur in Alex? Does this ecosystem provide what…
This is the first article of a 3-part series on informal entrepreneurship in emerging markets, based on empirical research conducted in the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg, South Africa. Elizabeth Mogale* (not her real name), a 48-year old mother of four, grills chickens on the pavement of 12th avenue in Alexandra, one of Johannesburg’s most…
