How Business Environment Reform Can Catalyse Private Investment
Simon White | How targeted business environment reform can catalyse private investment, support climate resilience and strengthen private capital mobilisation.
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Living with Informality: What the Current Debates Mean for Practitioners
Simon White | This article reflects on current debates about formalising the informal economy. It examines fiscal pressures, one‑size‑fits‑all reforms, digital formalisation and politics, and argues for context‑specific approaches that link formality to real benefits for informal firms and workers.
Regulatory sandboxes – demand-driven business environment reform
Regulatory sandboxes let regulators test innovation safely while adapting rules. This article explores sandbox models, design lessons and business environment reform.
New frontiers in water policy and water rights
A changing climate and rising tensions over shared rivers are pushing water to the centre of development policy. This article explores new frontiers in water policy and water rights, from systems thinking and equity to blue/green water and transboundary governance.
Water services and the business enabling environment
Water services and the business enabling environment are deeply interconnected. In this article, I explain how reliable, climate‑resilient water systems shape private sector development, jobs, investment and the overall business‑enabling environment.
Beyond sustainability in private sector development
Simon White | Private sector development can contribute to transformational adaptation and the regeneration of our ecologies and ecosystems.
Circular economy innovation: organic pork in Vietnam
Simon White | Circular economy innovation. Governments can learn from private innovators and work with them to create a business environment that sets the market signals for a sustainable, circular economy.
The Challenge of Business Representation in Public-Private Dialogue in Jordan
Simon White | This article draws on lessons from Jordan in public-private dialogue. It highlights the challenge of representing informal business in formal dialogue processes.
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.
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
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
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