Our Perspective

The condition of the world’s poor, those at the base of the economic pyramid (BoP), is the subject of growing attention. Global poverty is seen as both an unacceptable outcome of the current economic system and a challenge to commerce and security in wealthier nations. Indeed, the uneven distribution of benefits from globalization has led to increasing interest in new market-based approaches to poverty alleviation. Given the unique business context, however, private sector firms, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations have struggled to formulate effective business strategies for BoP markets. Furthermore, development agencies are facing greater scrutiny as to the effectiveness and sustainability of their current poverty alleviation programs.

Yet the intersection of two drivers -- the growing interest in exploring new poverty alleviation approaches and the increasing appreciation of a larger role for market-based ventures in serving the needs of the poor—offers the potential for a new approach. The emerging BoP perspective on poverty alleviation aligns business-oriented incentives for growth, innovation, and profits with the development community’s efforts to create a more inclusive capitalism. Indeed, the relationship between profits and poverty alleviation in pursuit of mutual value creation is a central component of the BoP perspective.

Program Areas

Next Generation BoP Leadership Program

The WDI team leverages its extensive knowledge in effective venture development to support these enterprise leaders. Our approach, based on more than a decade of experience, focuses on getting ventures on the right track wherever they are in the development process — from the design stage to scaling across geographies and product offerings. The model incorporates training programs, individual coaching, and field-based consulting. Using next-generation BoP principles, WDI provides a roadmap that allows existing and start-up venture leaders to craft successful business models, establish key cross-sector partnerships, enhance economic and social performance, and generate competitive advantage.

Centers of Excellence

WDI utilizes its experience in evaluating initiatives, interpreting information, and generating actionable knowledge to create jointly-managed Centers of Excellence. These BoP Centers of Excellence combine an organization’s field-based insights with the latest external research to develop a more consistent execution, and ensure the continual improvement of results. Having a Center of Excellence co-managed with WDI, a well-respected research institution, is a unique asset that also positions the organization as a partner of choice for funders and other potential collaborators.

Assessing and Enhancing Poverty Alleviation Impacts

The BoP Assessment Framework, as featured in the Harvard Business Review, is a manager-friendly tool and associated implementation process, provides a systematic approach that allows ventures to efficiently assess and enhance poverty alleviation impacts. This framework enables a deep understanding of how an enterprise’s business model meets, or fails to meet, the needs of those they seek to serve.

The WDI team has extensive experience providing training and on-the-ground support for implementing this impact assessment approach. WDI has worked with ventures in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to enhance mutual value creation, and develop more sustainable and scalable business models.