SEED Reports
SEED’s Research and Learning has been delivered by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in Canada since 2006. Prior to that, reports were delivered by the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi). Below are the details:
SEED Symposium: The Green Economy: Accelerating the Transition
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Author: Creech (IISD), May 2011
On 15th April 2011, nearly 200 people gathered in Pretoria to explore the role of social and environmental enterprises in shaping the Green Economy. The SEED Symposium on The Green Economy: Accelerating the Transition, brought together start-up entrepreneurs, government leaders, international organisations, research institutions and the private sector in one of the first international meetings on this challenge. Through keynote presentations, guest speakers, panel sessions and discussion, Symposium participants explored two central questions:Download the full report here- whether and how these enterprises – other with only one or two owners or employees – could accelerate the transition to the green economies in their countries and regions.
- what they might need on the way of support and enabling conditions from their governments.
An Investigation Into The Triple Bottom Line Performance Of Micro And Small Social And Environmental Enterprises In Developing Countries: Establishing A Baseline For A Longitudinal Study
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| July 2010
The SEED baseline study provides insights into how social and environmental enterprises can achieve their social, environmental and business objectives and how policy makers can create a more enabling environment for such enterprises to thrive. According to the survey, the SEED winners, for instance, are bringing change through capacity training and skills development as well as the introduction of new and more environmentally-friendly technologies and production processes.
However, the survey also underlined that two of the biggest obstacles for the success of these enterprises are lack of access to funds and lack of skilled people at the community level.By tracking the progress of the firms as they grow, SEED seeks to understand what policy and decision makers need to do to allow these enterprises to contribute to a greener economy in the developing world. Download the full report here.Download appendices here (coming soon)
Critical Success Factors and Performance Measures for Start-up Social and Environmental Enterprises
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| June 2008
Eight critical success factors and fourteen performance indicators are identified through the investigation of SEED Winners and other social and environmental entrepreneurs. The report was subsequently used as the basis for a robust rapid assessment tool for social and environmental enterprises. Such a process can be self-directed by the enterprise leaders to determine in the early stages of their development whether they have the critical elements in place for successful growth. Download the full report here.
Scale-up and replication for Social and Environmental Enterprises
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| June 2008
This paper explores how the international development community approaches scale-up and replication, and in particular its role in supporting start-up social and environmental enterprises with a view to expanding their business and their social and environmental impacts. The report examines several aspects of these issues and raises questions about who is responsible for creating the enabling environment and helping a local SMME to scale up. It also examines critically some of the main issues related to replication. Download the full report here.
Typologies for Partnerships for Sustainable Development and for Social and Environmental Enterprises: Exploring SEED winners through two lenses
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| June 2008
On the basis of in-depth studies of the SEED winners and other research reports, Creech and Paas conclude that creating a comprehensive typology of entrepreneurship field, partnerships is problematic because of the extreme variety of forms and shapes that these partnerships take. Nor has there been sufficient exploration of critical success factors for different types of partnerships. This paper suggests that developing partnership management is one critical success factor for social and environmental entrepreneurs but is not the defining modus operandi. Seven other CSFs are based on empirical evidence from the social and environmental. Download the full report here.
Recognition and Reward Programmes that support Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development
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| April 2008
Recognition and reward programmes are common mechanisms used to support and encourage outstanding behaviour and actions that contribute significantly to the achievement of a given vision, mission or objective. SEED is one of many award programmes that serve to recognise and support significant contributions towards a global vision for sustainable development. This report explores the role of these awards in promoting sustainable development. Download the full report here.
Partnerships for Sustainable Development : On the Road to Implementation
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| May 2006
The 2006 Partnerships Report discusses trends and cross-cutting themes related to partnerships such as funding, organisation and accountability. Download the report here.
Waltz, Jazz, or Samba?: The Contribution of Locally-Driven Partnerships to Sustainable Development
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| 2006
This discussion paper builds on the paper below and includes further interpretation and commentary to stimulate debate on the role and potential of locally-driven partnerships for sustainable development. It also begins to frame the future SEED Research and Learning agenda. Download the full paper here.
Entrepreneurial Partnerships for sustainable development: A first look at the submissions to the SEED Awards 2005
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| April 2005
This paper provides an analysis of the partnerships applying to the SEED Awards, and demonstrates the wide variety of locally-driven entrepreneurial partnerships with the potential to contribute to sustainable development. Download the paper here.
