Over the last year the British Council in Sweden has accelerated its efforts to share UK expertise around social enterprise and social investment. Bringing together local Swedish partners with representatives from the likes of NESTA, Social Finance and the UK Cabinet Office has led to some powerful learning and discussion for both countries.
Weakening public finances is leading many countries to seek innovative ways to tackle our problems of youth unemployment, insufficient inclusion and equity, and an aging population. The UK has been developing impact investment markets for over ten years, at the same time pushing forward the political agenda to open up public service delivery to social enterprises (most recently with the Social Value Act).
By sharing this work the British Council in Sweden hope to support the Swedish development of both policies and practice while simultaneously allowing UK stakeholders to tap into the Swedish experience.
For example, we hosted visits from Joe Ludlow, director of impact investment at Nesta and Peter Sebastian, associate director at Social Finance – sharing their know-how with six Swedish ministries all involved in the development of a new Swedish Innovation Strategy.
The strategy is now launched and Annie Lööf, the Swedish minister of enterprise, says "social innovation and social enterprise is an important dimension. British innovation policy has been a source of inspiration and learning for the Swedish innovation strategy."
A visit by Kieron Boyle, head of social finance and investment at the Cabinet Office gave another opportunity for sharing. "Regarding social finance, the British are at the international forefront" says Lööf. "We have had valuable opportunities to draw upon knowledge and experience of leading UK experts in the field in collaboration with the British Council."
The British Council in Sweden will continue to collaborate with Swedish stakeholders on social enterprise. For example in 2013 we will be involved in the SE Forum Outreach Accelerator, a programme supporting social entrepreneurs with products and ideas that can help the world reach the UN Millennium Goals.
Elin Svensson is director of British Council Sweden
Contact the British Council at social.enterprise@britishcouncil.org
More from the British Council partner zone:
• Ecotourism and legal structures in Vietnam
• Social Investment in Germany: context and contestation
• The World Bank and British Council back social enterprise in Morocco
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