Place Based Economic Development with Simon White

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Private Sector Development

Simon White | Specialist in private sector development. Supporting business growth for more and better jobs.

climate-resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem

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

innovation drives competitiveness

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.

Investing in skills development.

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

Promoting local SME participation in public procurement

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

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

Investment

Local investment promotion agencies

Increasing attention is being given to supporting local investment promotion agencies to promote private investment for economic growth and job creation. While a national investment promotion agency, or IPA, builds on a country’s brand in foreign investment markets, a local agency works from the ground up. Local investment promotion

Business Advocacy

Business Advocacy

This article examines the role of business advocacy in business environment reform. This is an important element of private sector development. The article answers the questions: What is business advocacy? How can business advocacy be made more effective? Importantly, business advocacy is not the same as public-private dialogue. Dialogue is