Inclusive Business Report
What it is and Why it matters
In this report, we explain what an inclusive economy means to us and detail barriers to inclusion and levers that businesses can use to remove these obstacles. We show proofs of concept, both businesses that have had positive social impact while being economically efficient, and businesses that increased their economic performance in the medium- to long-term through innovative inclusive practices.
With the increased awareness of an “inclusive economy” comes an increased need to define what, exactly, an inclusive economy and inclusive business is. The report “Inclusive Business: What It Is and Why It Matters”, written by Aurélien Feix, Bénédicte Faivre Tavignot, Marieke Huysentruyt and Rodolphe Durand and released by the Society & Organizations Institute as part of the B4IG platform framework, addresses this gap. We have been working on the contours of the inclusive economy since 2008, when HEC Paris created its Inclusive & Social Business Chair in 2008 with Renault, Danone and Schneider Electric. We draw on 12 years of experience, reflection, and interaction with the private sphere, public sphere, and civil society to address the fundamentals of an inclusive economy and business.
Part One: Definitions and Concepts
Economic inclusion
Economic inclusion as a give-and-receive relationship
The central importance of economic inclusion to people’s lives
The three dimensions of economic inclusion
The linkages between the different dimensions of economic inclusion
Economic exclusion and the risk of social relegation
Why are our economies not as “inclusive” as we would hope for?
Barriers to economic inclusion
The dynamic of economic exclusion
Inclusive business
The basic idea behind inclusive business
Defining inclusive business
The spectrum of inclusive businesses
Inclusive business as a shift in mindset
Conclusion and outlook
Part Two: Sample of Successful and Promising Inclusive Business Initiatives
- Programme Mobilize
- Programme Malin
- GINcluyete
- The Industry Academy
- Housing insurance
- Collaboration BNP Paribas x L’Ascenseur
- Lemon Aide
- Le Logement Solidaire
Read the article: "Inclusive Economy: The Antidote to “a World on Fire?"
Interview of Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot, Executive Director of the S&O Institute [FR]
Interview of Marieke Huysentruyt, Academic Director of the S&O Inclusive Economy Department [ENG]