Library | ESG issues
Community Development
Community development is a process where individuals and groups collaborate to create a more inclusive society by addressing shared social and economic challenges. It empowers communities to take collective action, ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities. Examples include investments in affordable housing, infrastructure such as roads, libraries, and parks, and initiatives that support local businesses and workforce development. Strong community development enhances economic resilience, social cohesion, and long-term value creation, influencing corporate and investment strategies.
Refine
158 results
REFINE
SHOW: 16
Charting the path: Foundations for a scalable First Nations investment market in Australia
This research outlines foundations for a scalable First Nations investment market in Australia. It identifies systemic barriers and proposes a theory of change focused on representation, systems alignment, and capital flows. The report recommends embedding cultural authority into governance and utilising blended finance to support First Nations economic self-determination.
A practitioner's guide to impact vehicle structuring
This guide provides a six-step roadmap for designing and structuring impact investment vehicles. It offers practical frameworks for assessing market gaps, establishing partnerships, and defining investment and impact strategies. Featuring seventeen global case studies, the report emphasises mobilising domestic capital and using blended finance to address underserved social and environmental needs.
Opening the black box on the impact of inclusive credit
This report examines inclusive credit's impact using a five-factor framework: who, how, what for, where, and when. Drawing on 405 studies and machine learning analysis, it advocates for "precision credit"—matching product design to borrower circumstances—to move beyond average effects and ensure meaningful developmental outcomes in emerging markets.
Toward a more human pace for data center development
This research examines the environmental and social impacts of rapid data centre expansion in the United States. It highlights how generative AI infrastructure disproportionately burdens marginalised communities through pollution, increased utility costs, and resource depletion. The authors call for a "more human pace" centred on environmental justice.
Leveraging copper for economic transformation: Policy choices for value addition in Zambia
This report examines strategies for Zambia to add value to its copper resources. It identifies expanding smelting and refining as immediate opportunities to increase annual exports by USD 3.7 billion by 2030. Success requires addressing binding constraints, primarily unreliable electricity, high finance costs, and trade logistics inefficiencies.
Unlocking catalytic capital in Australia
This report examines the role of catalytic capital in Australia, exploring how flexible, risk-tolerant investment can mobilise private capital for social and environmental impact. It defines the current market, identifies barriers to growth, and provides case studies of successful deployment across philanthropic, government, and institutional sectors.
Community energy: Hope and headwinds
This report examines the Australian community energy sector, highlighting growth to over 126 projects by 2023. It explores the tension between strong community motivations and significant economic headwinds, such as scale diseconomies and market volatility. Key findings emphasise technical expertise and de-risking strategies as essential for success.
Exploring guarantees for resilient and low-carbon cities: Part 2: De-risking urban climate finance series
This report examines how guarantees can unlock private climate finance for cities. It identifies barriers to uptake in emerging markets, such as high costs and complex structures. Proposed solutions include strengthening governance, standardising products, and expanding regional facilities to mobilise the USD 4.3 trillion required annually by 2030.
Just transition metrics benchmark
Just Transition Metrics is a benchmark series developed by Shift in collaboration with multiple organisations. It provides a foundational, sector-agnostic set of quantitative metrics designed to assess the 'justness' of companies' climate-related transition plans, covering workforce, communities, and value chain impacts.
Global report on internal displacement series
The Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) is an annual benchmark series published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). It tracks the scale, drivers, and geography of internal displacement worldwide, covering both conflict- and disaster-driven movements across countries and regions.
Governance: Hard to build, easy to erode: Global trends, business implications and the role of employer and business membership organizations
This report analyses global governance trends from 1996 to 2024, revealing widespread stagnation and persistent risks of backsliding. It highlights the critical link between stable institutional governance, increased foreign direct investment, and the necessary role of business membership organisations in sustaining long-term policy reforms.
How poverty fell
Global extreme poverty fell mainly within cohorts, with substantial household churn and varied exit pathways. Sector shifts, migration, occupation changes and women’s labour force participation contributed unevenly; most households exited poverty without these changes.
Transforming the urban climate project preparation ecosystem: Emerging findings on how enhanced collaboration can deliver greater coherence, efficiency and impact
The report examines weaknesses in urban climate project preparation and argues that stronger coordination between cities, financiers and support organisations could improve coherence, efficiency and project impact. It identifies structural and operational barriers and proposes collaborative reforms to strengthen climate finance delivery.
Building the financial case for urban adaptation: Guidance and case studies
C40 and Rebel outline how cities can structure urban adaptation projects to attract private finance, using ten case studies. Bankability depends on revenue logic, risk allocation, public de-risking, early financier engagement and credible monitoring.
Hedging ambiguity with pro-social preferences: An illustration from green finance
The paper argues that pro-social preferences can offset ambiguity aversion in green finance by acting as a behavioural hedge. Using ambiguity-based investment models, the authors show socially motivated investors may accept uncertain green assets, lowering effective hurdle rates and supporting private capital flows into sustainable projects.
Tackling governance and financing for sustainability transitions
The report argues current financial systems misallocate capital towards resource-intensive activities, hindering sustainability transitions. It recommends policy, governance and financial reforms to redirect investment towards resource efficiency, low-carbon development and equitable transition pathways, particularly in resource-dependent economies.
