A few years ago, Criterion launched a ten-year strategic plan, which solidified our commitment to direct the power of the financial system to be a positive force against systemic injustice. This is part two of a five-part series on the core pillars of our 2020-2030 strategic plan. Each episode will give our listeners an inside look at how these pillars came into focus for Criterion, why it’s so important for us to do this work now and over the long-term, key partners who are working with us, and highlights of our impact to-date.  

This week, our host Joy Anderson talks about “Unleashing the Power of Policy,” the pillar of our work that deals with government partners and supports them in utilizing their existing social policies to raise the bar for innovative finance initiatives. First, Joy will talk through the history of our work in this space and how we expand the imagination of governments to see that they can use their power and influence to improve gender and other social outcomes in both public and private finance. Then she will discuss a common misperception that a lot of innovative finance programs have taken on – that women-led businesses need to be de-risked. Finally, Joy ponders the need for a translation function within donor agencies to facilitate coordination between innovative finance and the departments working on gender and other social policies.  

Episode Highlights:

  • 00:28 - Intro
  • 02:18 - About the Pillar: Unleashing the Power of Policy  
  • 13:30 - Paying to de-risk what isn’t risky  
  • 16:55 - The need for translation inside donor agencies

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