Doing business with strangers and the drive to formalise: Lessons from the Solomon Islands
Simon White | This article looks at what the drive to formalise in the Solomon Islands teaches us about the formal economy and the need for reform.
Simon White
Creating a climate-resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem
How can governments, business communities and others create a climate-resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem that provides the solutions we need?
The demand for climate resilience has never been greater. While governments are slowly acting to transition away from fossil fuels, the private sector is expected to step up and invest in green
How innovation can drive industry competitiveness
Simon White | Discover how innovation can drive competitiveness for private firms. Learn how a Horticulture Innovation Group in Vietnam has helped smallholder farmers diversify and thrive.
Helping businesses invest in skills development
Because the private sector creates the most employment globally, we need to pay attention to how we can encourage private businesses to invest in skills development. Private business owners must come to see how a more skilled workforce will improve productivity, business competitiveness and profitability.
Moving beyond workers as a
Australia's new International Development Policy sets a broad scene for private sector development
The new — and highly anticipated — Australian International Development Policy sets the scene for Australia’s future support for private sector development. While there is not a lot of detail on how Australian aid should work with the private sector or support private-sector development, it does contain some essential elements that
Promoting local SME participation in public procurement
Promoting local small- and medium-enterprise (SME) participation in public procurement markets should be crucial in any government’s support for local economic development.
I will never forget the experience of working in Glasgow many years ago in housing estates that contained extremely high levels of multigenerational unemployment. I remember meeting
Overcoming the barriers to SME participation in public procurement
Government agencies can take steps to overcome the barriers to small- and medium-enterprise (SME) participation in public procurement to enhance local employment and economic outcomes.
Public procurement is an important source of market opportunity for businesses. It has been used to drive industrial development through government demand for industrial innovation