Scaling impact investment for sustainable development goals: An empirical analysis

Abstract

Impact Investing is a community of investors willing to create social and environmental impact along with financial returns by investing either directly with Base of Pyramid5 (BoP) enterprises or indirectly through enterprises that help in creating impact by investing in BoP organizations. Adoption of SDGs6 quantified the expectation paradigm of the global community for social, environmental and economic achievable and projected/targeted achievement of SDGs by 2030 made the governments, businesses, institutions daunted with the task in hand hence, it is imperative for investing community to contribute its share as well. With high social need and underserved population India has become a test bed for impact investing. However, with increasing impact investing, Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) gains significant importance as it allows investors to evaluate impact and channelize fund to most effective solutions. The present study conducted for year 2019 not only attempts to explore impact investing landscape in India and its future dimension but it simultaneously does content analysis of impact report of investors using impact value chain7 and indicators developed on the basis of SDGs targets and indicators. The analysis aims to establish a link between developed indicators and impact, the link once established, developed indicators will provide agile, cost effective, quantifiable and measurable basis to impact that has worldwide acceptance.