Economists have gotten a lot of things right over centuries of research. However, one thing they’ve gotten wrong is that people only act in their best self-interests, ignoring all other alternatives. And yet, as much as economists would like to believe, most people are not psychopaths. The trend of social impact has permeated the consumer space: initiatives like (Product) RED and Tom’s Shoes have enjoyed tremendous success. And yet, investment in social impact lags. Some companies understand the importance of creating value in underserved communities, and have done so whil...

• Social Impact

President Obama announced the Clean Power Plan yesterday, citing the need to reduce pollution from power plants as an essential part of the climate change debate.   The President called the Clean Power Plan “fair, flexible, and designed to strengthen the fast-growing trend toward cleaner and lower-polluting American energy.”   With ambitious but realistic guidelines for power plants, and state-customized goals to curb pollution that causes climate change, the Clean Power Plan provides national standardization and accountability while reflecting each state&r...

• Social Impact

Twelve of the largest, most impactful U.S. companies in the private sector have worked with the White House to make a commitment to investing over $140 billion to aid in climate change efforts. Companies include Walmart, Goldman Sachs, and Apple, among others.This commitment comes on the heels of continued White House effort to prioritize global warming at the U.N. Conference on Climate Change, at the end of the year in Paris.“They want not only to see a successful outcome in Paris, they want it to happen and are willing to commit in a manner that’s both advanced and energetic,” said Brian ...

• Social Impact