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.

Workplace tools to reduce the wealth-based attainment gap

Helping workers from poorer backgrounds fulfil their potential The Challenge There is great focus today on providing equal-education opportunities for individuals from poorer backgrounds to help them attain socioeconomic mobility, thereby reducing the attainment gap and inequality. Organisations are the primary source of economic value-generation but, while some studies suggest that large organisations mitigate inequality,…

AI for Sustainable Development – In Conversation with Ángel Gurría, OECD Secretary-General

“To realise the full potential of this promising technology, we need one critical ingredient. That critical ingredient is trust. And to build trust we need human-centred artificial intelligence that fosters sustainable development and inclusive human progress – and I stress the word inclusive,” he said.  Artificial Intelligence has the potential to transform our lives –…

Masterclass: Introduction to GIS Methods in Economics

This three-day course organised by the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development introduced researchers in Economics and related disciplines to Geographic Information System (GIS) methods. The masterclass was delivered from 13-15 May 2019 at Sammy Ofer Centre / London Business School. The course placed emphasis on “doing GIS” for economics – i.e., turning geographic data,…

Landmine Contamination and Clearance – Policy and The Way Forward

On April 9th 2019, the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development hosted a conference on Landmine Contamination and Clearance – Policy and the Way Forward. The event, held at London Business School, brought together a range of distinguished speakers from the United Nations Mine Action Service, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, leading NGO’s involved…

How the poor use their mobile data: A field experiment in India

Can less flexible data plans make users better off? The challenge Through their increased prevalence, smartphones have become a key social development tool for slum-dwellers. Particularly, they are considered as a ‘force multiplier’ to effectively deliver services and information to isolated markets.Although smartphones carry great potential, accessibility alone may not be enough to make a…

The political economy of climate change negotiations

What factors affect countries’ commitment to mitigating climate change? Climate change agreements are negotiated by countries at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), but countries differ greatly on who should bear the cost of mitigation initiatives: the greater the costs, the stronger the opposition from the country. These differences are particularly marked…

Can user training increase technology adoption and enable women’s empowerment?

A field experiment on solar power adoption in off-grid Uganda Over a billion people live without access to modern electricity today, including 75% of the population of Uganda. Rooftop solar technology is providing a revolutionary alternative to grid-based electricity and has garnered great investor attention in the last few years, with studies showing that clean…