Euclid Network (EN) together with ImpactCity co-hosted an on-the-spot assessment of the Impact Ecosystem in The Hague. The workshop brought together a variety of stakeholders operating in the local impact ecosystem with the aim of evaluating its effectiveness with the use of the Better Entrepreneurship Policy Tool developed by the OECD and the European Commission.
On September 17th, 2020, Euclid Network (EN) hosted its first physical event in almost six months, co-organised with our long-term partner ImpactCity. The On-the-spot assessment of the Impact Ecosystem workshop enabled different stakeholders operating in the same impact ecosystem to meet and share their perspectives on the state of the local ecosystem as well as the direction they believe it should be taking. Among the attendees, there were business support organisations, representatives of academia, impact investors, social entrepreneurs and public administrators. The aim of this session was to stimulate reflection on social entrepreneurship policies and programmes in the city of Hague.
As Coos Santing, representative of ImpactCity put it: “I hope today that you are brutally honest about the ecosystem. It is really nice if you tell us what is nice about the Impact City but please also tell us what is not so nice and what we have to do better in the upcoming years.” To allow for constructive evaluation of the ecosystem as well as a productive follow-up debate, Better Entrepreneurship Policy Tool (BET) was used throughout the session.
What is the Better Entrepreneurship Tool?
The BET is the first online tool for assessing and learning about social enterprise ecosystems. It aims to help stakeholders better understand their ecosystems, and to bring them together to compare their views. It also acts as a learning platform, which gathers and makes accessible all the knowledge that has been generated by the OECD since 1999. It was co-developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) and the European Commission, together with relevant stakeholders of the social impact sector including the EN.
During our session, the tool was used collectively by the attendees. After the groups of stakeholders – entrepreneurs, investors, academia and support organisations – filled in the survey, the platform allowed for immediate generation of statistical data results as well as inter-group comparison. This procedure motivated active engagement from all the stakeholders, direct interaction between the stakeholder groups and finally the intended debate on inclusive and social entrepreneurship policies and programs in the city of The Hague.
What Did We Find Out?
The wide range of topics covered by the BET – from regulations and culture to skill-assessment – allowed for a construction of a complex view of the local impact enterpriseecosystem, including perspectives off all vital players. All attendees agreed that the city of The Hague had done invaluable work towards sustainable and prosperous ecosystems while promoting inclusivity and cooperation. There is an active attempt by the city to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem which we are eager to be a part of… This city looks outward to the world and we really appreciate that because we operate in the world at large.” said the managing director of the DRK Foundation Lisa Jordan.
The results from the BET also pointed to the fact that the existing social impact network needs to strengthen the ties and increase cooperation. Marc Nijmeijer, the managing director of WellDecommissioned, stressed the importance of ensuring “opportunity creation and provision of proactive help for newcomers.” There were multiple calls for higher level of communication among the stakeholders enabled by structural management of open channels of communication as well as transparency of the market. BET also showed the public officials how different stakeholders perceive and experience their policies. This session was a step towards a more integrated impact enterprise ecosystem in The Hague.
Do you want to share your perspective? Do you want to assess your local impact ecosystem? Do you want to engage your stakeholders and strengthen your network? Find out more about the Better Entrepreneurship Tool here.
