Ross Morales Rocketto

This isn’t to say that all Republicans are bad and awful. They are not. It is to say that there is something beneath the surface. When Democrats get rowdy they say nasty things about a Commander in Chief who took our country to war based on faulty intelligence. They say that Wall Street bankers should go to jail for their misdeeds during the financial collapse. They gather peacefully in the streets and say that institutional racism is a scourge that is killing a generation of black men and… Show more

This isn’t to say that all Republicans are bad and awful. They are not. It is to say that there is something beneath the surface. When Democrats get rowdy they say nasty things about a Commander in Chief who took our country to war based on faulty intelligence. They say that Wall Street bankers should go to jail for their misdeeds during the financial collapse. They gather peacefully in the streets and say that institutional racism is a scourge that is killing a generation of black men and women every day.

These things are not the same. A number of those in the GOP would have you believe there is an equivalence between calling out racism and saying racist things. They’d say that it’s dangerous for us to silence those who say terrible things, it’s for our safety, right? Show less

For the final post in this series, we’ll examine three ways that Governments have secured cost savings and increased impact through exercising powers central to their daily course of business:

- As regulators, by crafting regulations, policies and incentives that drive more investment capital into the impact economy;

- As buyers of goods and services, by focusing more public resources on achieving social outcomes; and

- As conveners or “market facilitators,” by providing… Show more

For the final post in this series, we’ll examine three ways that Governments have secured cost savings and increased impact through exercising powers central to their daily course of business:

- As regulators, by crafting regulations, policies and incentives that drive more investment capital into the impact economy;

- As buyers of goods and services, by focusing more public resources on achieving social outcomes; and

- As conveners or “market facilitators,” by providing resources and infrastructure and building relationships among those engaged in building the impact economy; Show less

A quiet revolution is changing the way our society seeks to create social good. A new generation of entrepreneurs, investors and nonprofit leaders is working to develop profitable and socially conscious business and investment models. This is the impact economy, a small but growing sector that seeks to put the achievement of social good at the center of business.
The impact economy already includes enterprises that employ as many as 10 million and produce an estimated $500 billion in annual… Show more

A quiet revolution is changing the way our society seeks to create social good. A new generation of entrepreneurs, investors and nonprofit leaders is working to develop profitable and socially conscious business and investment models. This is the impact economy, a small but growing sector that seeks to put the achievement of social good at the center of business.
The impact economy already includes enterprises that employ as many as 10 million and produce an estimated $500 billion in annual revenues in the U.S. alone. Current estimates of the growth potential for impact investing — pursuing returns blending social, environmental and financial benefits — range between $400 billion and $1 trillion by 2020.

These activities as well as other innovative financing mechanisms have contributed to an ecosystem in which a range of support organizations are eager to participate in the impact economy. Government can play a key role in supporting the impact economy to achieve its full potential. Impact investing and social enterprises won’t replace public services, but can supplement and enhance them and ultimately improve their performance. In addition, by building sustainable and socially motivated businesses, the impact economy can create jobs and new incentives geared toward more sustainable practices and long-term social good.

***Culmination of over a year's worth of primary and secondary source research as well as significant contributions to the overall structure and final edits to the document. Show less

In a bygone era government was solely responsible for addressing the Nation’s biggest problems, from building the interstate highway system to the New Deal social programs. However, today’s challenges are more complicated and interconnected than ever before and cannot be solved by a single actor or solution. That is why government has an opportunity to engage with the actors in the Impact Economy from non-profits to businesses. The results could create jobs, drive new solutions, and catalyze a… Show more

In a bygone era government was solely responsible for addressing the Nation’s biggest problems, from building the interstate highway system to the New Deal social programs. However, today’s challenges are more complicated and interconnected than ever before and cannot be solved by a single actor or solution. That is why government has an opportunity to engage with the actors in the Impact Economy from non-profits to businesses. The results could create jobs, drive new solutions, and catalyze a vibrant new economy. Show less

The US Impact Economy faces three major challenges that will need to be addressed before it can scale. First, there is a lack of early stage capital for organizations looking to address social ills. Additionally, America currently lacks robust infrastructure to support the Impact Economy, which might include clarified and streamlined regulation and standardized impact measurements. The final challenge is that many existing programs often do not achieve their intended effect.

The last post in this series provided a broad overview of the Impact Economy. But what is it really? As stated by Jonathan Greenblatt of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, the Impact Economy is “where supply and demand converge, not on the notion of a market clearing price, but on the notion of a world-changing mission.” Unlike other markets, the actors involved in the Impact Economy are intentional about producing social and financial value. This focus on… Show more

The last post in this series provided a broad overview of the Impact Economy. But what is it really? As stated by Jonathan Greenblatt of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, the Impact Economy is “where supply and demand converge, not on the notion of a market clearing price, but on the notion of a world-changing mission.” Unlike other markets, the actors involved in the Impact Economy are intentional about producing social and financial value. This focus on social and financial returns, with a clear articulation of the tradeoffs between the two, makes the Impact Economy unique as the actors are not defined by their role, but by their intent to create positive impact through market-based solutions. Show less

All levels of government are facing a new wave of challenges ranging from underperforming schools and food deserts; to college affordability and fostering economic growth. What makes things harder is that government must achieve its goals in an environment of diminishing resources, rising citizen expectations, and decreasing public confidence.

Momentum is building for government to play a larger role in the impact economy, the ecosystem where social entrepreneurs who have sustainable business models to generate both profit and good meet impact investors who want to invest in their ideas.