Wheeler Institute for Business and Development

We create impact by identifying big challenges, applying business insights to help solve these challenges, and forging communities of learning and practice to implement large-scale and enduring change.

December 2019: Launch of the Africa List Business Barometer

In the largest survey of its kind, The Africa List Business Barometer reveals a high degree of confidence in the business environment across Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, despite ongoing challenges. Produced by The Africa List, a membership community of Africa’s rising private sector leaders, and developed in partnership with The Wheeler…

Business and Fragile States

State fragility drives some of the biggest problems in our world today: extreme poverty, mass migration, terrorism, trafficking, and more. Why are some countries ‘fragile’, chronically affected by insecurity and political and economic instability? How can private initiatives contribute to better outcomes? On 8 and 9 October, 2019 the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development…

Increasing the follow-up rate of patients requiring emergency high-consequence treatment

Improving poorer populations’ chances of getting necessary care The challenge A low attendance rate for urgent, high-consequence treatment is prevalent in the developing world. In poorer countries, ignorance about the illnesses people have, allied to the financial costs of attending for treatment, are two of the main reasons why they fail to show up for…

Indirect marketing through adoption of home solar systems in East Africa

Evaluating a private-sector initiative to increase technology adoption Of the 14% of the world’s population that live without access to modern electricity, 95% live in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Studies have shown that clean-energy technologies such as solar-powered lighting and cook stoves can increase income and save household energy costs in emerging markets. Rooftop solar-technology…

Refugees of the Mediterranean

The political economy of displacement and refugee flows Large-scale population movements disrupt the economies and social fabrics of many countries. Understanding how substantial populations of involuntarily displaced individuals fare economically and how host communities are affected is crucial. This research explores the developmental impacts of refugee flows and the effect on host communities, and whether…

Private investment in basic science

Investigating ways to cure disease, reduce mortality rates and improve life expectancy The challenge Research and development (R&D) expenditure in the pharmaceutical industry is extremely high. However, developing countries face severe resource constraints and weak institutions, and their urgent need for medicines can only be met by profit-driven, big pharmaceutical firms. Why do (some) firms…

Mobile app intervention to improve child health in underprivileged Indian communities

Helping parents make better child nutrition and immunisation decisions The challenge Undernutrition contributes to more than half of all deaths of children under the age of five and is directly linked with economic development (Unicef, 2018a). Lack of immunisation is also a widespread problem in poor communities. Liquidity constraints can make food products unaffordable, resulting…