Позитивные изменения. Том 2, № 2 (2022). Positive changes. Volume 2, Issue 2 (2022)
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But since the market situation has changed dramatically, one can hardly expect an acceleration of growth and interest in impact investing by market players, since what is needed first and foremost is general economic stabilization.
The market situation has changed dramatically, one can hardly expect an acceleration of growth and interest in impact investing by market players.
According to Sir Ronald Cohen, founder of Social Finance and pioneer of social impact projects worldwide, the SIB model optimizes risks, returns and impact, as return on investment does not depend on the stock market activity but solely on the social impact achieved.
"This gives us hope that the development of impact investing will take place primarily through the development of the SIB model", Tatiana Burmistrova explains.
Alexey Ryzhkov, the founder of Seven Suns Development Group, entrepreneur and social investor, believes that at the moment we can only talk about individual examples of social impact projects or the establishment of such a niche in the market.
"The current model of social structure in the world in general and in our country in particular does not provide for or accept the existence of such a phenomenon as social investment and social investors. It is rather an exception to the rule. The very notion of "social investment" means people acting from surplus rather than deficit; it means the society has confidently reached the level of carrying out independent economic activity; it means the realization that every activity has its social impact in one way or another. And we need to make sure that this impact is positive and constructive, which in turn means that people are ready to take responsibility for society into their own hands. The existence of a large number of people in the society who have crossed this path on their own, allows us to raise the question of the transition to the economy of positive social impact. But this can only work fully if all of the society, that is, the majority of people in the society, have realized these things or at least share an understanding of them. This is a very high development level. Until we as a society have realized this, we can talk about individual examples of social impact projects or about creating a niche in the market that will include various positive social impact projects and enterprises. We need to make this niche a trendsetter in the market of independent economic activity. The world is now experiencing a tectonic shift of global transformation, as President Putin says. Russia has its own role in this process – the role of a crossroads, which should unite the world, first preventing it from self-destruction, acting as an exemplary country – a design of positive, constructive social impact, if you will, then spreading this model to the whole world. We’ll be working on this", Alexey Ryzhkov says.
The SIB model is a long game, which should have its own logic of change and monitoring of intermediate results.
The mechanism of social impact bonds initiated by VEB.RF was included in the Concept for Improving the Efficiency of Budget Expenditures in 2019–2024. Resources, including financial resources spent on social problems, must improve the quality of life of citizens.
According to Tatyana Burmistrova, there is a growing consensus in the society that the focus of paying for public services should shift from ensuring the fulfillment of formal quantitative results to achieving social effects.
Right now, most social services are provided by the state with little regard for how effective these programs and services are in achieving positive outcomes for the demographics served. Existing contracts with state or private providers of social services are paid based on a measurement of quantitative results achieved. The SIB model is in fact the key to effectiveness, as long as the social effect is not replaced by quantitative results. For example, the number of social contracts concluded (the expected result of one of the social impact projects in the Russian Federation) cannot in itself be a metric of the fact that signatories will get out of a difficult life situation by spending money to start their own business or learn a new profession.
"These kinds of errors occur as early as the design level of the project, and can only be avoided through a more thorough, sometimes longer design phase, involving all stakeholders, including beneficiaries. The design should be preceded by the data collection stage, the involvement of professionals in the field of evaluation and theory of change at the stage of project development", says Tatiana Burmistrova.
The SIB model inevitably involves building a theory of change for the projects launched. Otherwise, it simply will not work or will be ineffective.
"That’s the key difference between social impact projects, that the model provides for a transparent measurement of social results and an evaluation system", Burmistrova says.
Many governments spend major resources each year on anti-crisis population support measures, which mainly involves direct social payments. Such measures help a large number of people, but achieve little progress in solving social problems.
In Russia, too, the greatest share of government spending is used to make social payments to the population, rather than to implement specific projects in order to address the underlying causes of systemic problems to improve the lives of citizens. The SIB model is not designed to provide targeted social assistance to people; it is focused on changes whereby targeted social assistance will no longer be needed. Alternatively, the SIB model can pilot the introduction of more effective innovative practices, leading to significant improvements in people’s lives. Once successfully piloted, i.e. proven effective, practices can be incorporated into the state aid system.
In any case, according to experts, the SIB model is a long game, which should have its own logic of change and monitoring of intermediate short- and medium-term results leading towards the final goal – reducing/changing the status quo of the problem.
Впереди
Юлия Вяткина
DOI 10.55140/2782-5817-2022-2-2-24-28
В день столетия пионерии, 19 мая 2022 г. в Госдуму был внесен законопроект о российском движении детей и молодежи «Большая перемена». По мнению авторов инициативы, принятие законопроекта позволит выстроить единую политику воспитания детей и молодежи, повысить их общественную вовлеченность, выстроить непрерывную траекторию их развития на основе ценностей российского общества. Редакция журнала решила узнать у экспертов, как выстраивать работу нового движения и что необходимо учесть, чтобы в стране появились агенты и носители позитивных изменений и лидерства.
Юлия Вяткина
Редактор журнала «Позитивные изменения»
По экспертным оценкам, в настоящее время в деятельность детских общественных организаций и движений вовлечено около пяти процентов детей. Стоит отметить, что движение детей и молодежи существовало еще до революции. Пионерская организация – это не первая детская организация, которая возникла в России. Первый следопытский слет прошел в конце апреля 1909 года в Павловском парке под Петербургом. Именно это событие послужило толчком для появления и развития скаутского движения в России. Кстати, сейчас в стране существует шесть скаутских общероссийских организаций.
По данным председателя комитета Государственной Думы по молодежной политике и председателя Совета Ассоциации волонтерских центров Артема Метелева, одного из авторов законопроекта, детские организации и проекты «охватывают лишь часть от 20 миллионов детей и подростков».
«Многие и не знают о возможностях. Разные школы – разные подходы. Разные условия рождают несправедливость. Молодежь интуитивно и сознательно хочет объединяться. У сегодняшних молодых ребят есть желание принимать активное участие в общественной жизни страны, желание становиться лучше, развиваться. И мы должны дать эту возможность. Дать ее каждому, независимо от того, живет ребенок в крупном городе или деревне, богатой школе или сельской, лидер он или только пытается себя найти», – пишет Артем Метелев в своем телеграм-канале.
Чтобы учесть все многообразие подходов и интересов, законопроект о «Большой перемене» будет проходить широкое обсуждение. Решающее слово в ключевых вопросах всегда будет оставаться за детьми.
Планируется, что общероссийское движение детей и молодежи «Большая перемена» учредят крупнейшие детские организации на условиях равноправия. При этом в движение смогут вступать любые организации, и даже взрослые – в качестве наставников. Кроме того, согласно инициативе, Президенту Российской Федерации Владимиру Путину будет предложено возглавить наблюдательный совет.