Reading Time: 4 minutesLa economía social y solidaria catalana no nació solo de la ley: desde 2016, catorce “Ateneus Cooperatius” y redes comunitarias han creado más de 1100 cooperativas. ¿Bastará ahora la política para sostener lo que crearon?
Category: Entrepreneurship
Beyond buffaloes: Building a social enterprise in Laos
Reading Time: 4 minutesIn rural Laos, Laos Buffalo Dairy rents pregnant buffaloes from farmers, supporting rural families while producing milk commercially, sustaining livelihoods without disrupting traditional local farming practices. But can shared value be a lasting business model?
Putting people at the heart of Ukraine’s recovery
Reading Time: 5 minutesIn Ivano-Frankivsk, Promprylad Foundation retrains displaced people, veterans and women for in-demand local jobs, supporting 30,000+ people and 600+ new jobs since 2022. Can community-led models like this reshape how we think about post-war economic recovery?
Can MENA’s digital finance boom close the gender gap?
Reading Time: 4 minutesAsk whether digital finance is helping women entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) overcome old barriers and the honest answer is: both, at the same time. But is access enough to drive real growth?
COGITO Talks… The attraction factor: People, visitors and investment
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhat makes a region attractive? Sometimes, it’s the ability to reinvent itself, and Newcastle, Australia, is a powerful example: competitive regions are not just places that grow, they are places that adapt.
Beyond registration: Why does formalisation matter for Somalia’s small businesses?
Reading Time: 3 minutesFor small businesses, formalisation should not feel like another administrative burden. Done well, it can become a route to trust, finance and growth. In Somalia, informal shops and traders keep economies alive daily; so, are we formalising for paperwork, or to really help entrepreneurs succeed?
Making gender equality investable: How capital markets can unlock women’s entrepreneurship
Reading Time: 4 minutesDiscussions on women’s entrepreneurship frequently revolve around one issue: access to finance. But the world doesn’t lack capital. If investors move on measured risks, how can gender equality be turned into an investment opportunity?
Cutting red tape where it matters most: Why SMEs need simpler local rules
Reading Time: 4 minutesPolicymakers are placing renewed emphasis on regulatory simplification, seeking to cut red tape and help firms grow. For SMEs, this is crucial: growth is shaped not by one law, but by permits and reporting requirements piling across levels of government. How can governments simplify this patchwork without losing its safeguards?