DICE, Reports, creative and social enterprise, SDGs, Brazil
In Brazil, creative and social enterprises like Lá da Favelinha and its founder Kdu dos Anjos (above) provide opportunities for many talented people in disadvantaged communities ©

Courtesy of Lá da Favelinha

We have commissioned research to map the creative and social economies in each of the DICE countries as well as essays that connect ideas across all of the DICE countries (Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Africa and the UK).

Research studies

The studies outline the operating context, business models and employment practices of creative and social enterprises and examine their contribution to supporting sustainable and inclusive growth.

This includes their role in creating jobs for young people and women as well as the social and environmental challenges they seek to address. They also map the infrastructure which supports their development. 

By asking detailed questions, these studies set out to learn how the current 'ecosystem' supports creative and social enterprises in each surveyed country, and what further could be done to make it more effective. 

These studies make clear that the value of creative and social enterprises is greater than the sum of their parts -- social impact, creative and cultural value, and financial returns. They stimulate collaboration and human connection, and make a significant contribution to the UN´s Sustainable Development Goals.

These studies are designed to provide information and insights for policy makers, social impact investors, intermediary organisations and other ‘ecosystem builders’ seeking to develop a more enabling environment for creative and social enterprises.

We hope that they will act as a guide for many people working in, or interested in, the development of a more inclusive economy.

Brazil study

Brazil faces a significant challenge common to many nations caught in the middle-income trap: how to provide work and income to millions of unemployed and semi-employed young people excluded from its mainstream economy, at a time when increasing automation threatens to close off routes into traditional areas of work. 

This survey illustrates how creative and social enterprises provide employment and stimulate economic growth. By asking detailed questions of existing creative and social enterprises, it sets out to learn how the current eco-system functions, and what further could be done to make it more effective. 

It takes a deep dive into issues such as the balance between profit and social mission; leadership and governance; socio-economic profile of managers and employees; sources of funding; access (or lack of) to investment funding; the role of the creative and R&D process; legal forms and the degree of protection of intellectual property; and the degree of alignment to the Sustainable  Development Goals

We are hopeful that this report will become an active guide for many working or interested in imagining a more inclusive economy, one that rewards collaboration as much as competition, and that it will be useful and help guide communities to developing more jobs and businesses.  

This research was conducted with Social Enterprise UK and Brazil’s Catavento Pesquisas. 

Download the survey in English and/or Portuguese below. 

Indonesia study

In collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), the British Council commissioned a study to better understand creative and social Enterprises in Indonesia. 

The study was conducted by Parahyangan Catholic University and the University of Surabaya with support from Social Enterprise UK (SEUK). 

The research consists of a report that measures and provides a baseline for the size and impact of social and creative enterprise, assessing the quality of the environment for social and creative enterprises (demand), and a report on the funding and resource ecosystem for social and creative enterprises (supply).  The research was finalised in 2020 was launched on 16th September 2020.  

Download the two-part study as well as infographics describing key findings below. 

South Africa study

The British Council and its research partners, Simanye and Social Enterprise UK are delighted to present this survey which explores creativity, enterprise and how we can combine them to build a more inclusive economy.

This study explores the purpose, inclusive business practices, and operating context for creative enterprises, social enterprises, and their hybrid – creative social enterprises, and it maps their substantial contribution to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

These businesses exist for a purpose that is not merely about income generation. They reframe the way we measure value; they challenge what success looks like and they demonstrate the crucial role of social values to that success. Collectively they encourage us to consider the macro-perspective in which they sit - how should businesses with social purpose and creative engines be built into the design of our economic system? Further, how can their important skillset be deployed in policy design, and in community and economic development?

Download the survey below.  

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