Wharton Social Impact Initiative

Wharton management professor Lindsey Cameron was so committed to her research on gig workers that she became one, driving part-time for Uber for three years as she studied how people in the sharing economy give meaning to their work.

How Workers Create Meaning in the Gig Economy - Knowledge@Wharton New research from Wharton's Lindsey Cameron explores the ways in which on-demand workers create job satisfaction in a workplace without walls.

The program is part of a collaboration between the Wharton School and the National Education Equity Lab in an effort to educate and inspire students in historically disadvantaged communities.

Wharton partnership offers college credits to underserved high school students | Penn Today A Wharton School partnership offers hybrid, dual-credit courses to high school students to educate and inspire students in historically underserved communities.

Experts at Wharton and elsewhere have created a model that improves upon conventional approaches to understand how investors perceive the impact of climate risk on local economies.

How Sea Level Rise Exposure Is Priced into Municipal Bonds - Knowledge@Wharton New research co-authored by Wharton’s Michael Schwert argues for state support in climate change remediation for coastal communities.

Pension funds have great potential to drive companies toward ESG practices, but several hurdles stand in the way.

A Sound Plan for Sustainable Investing? Pension funds have great potential to drive companies toward ESG practices, but several hurdles stand in the way.

Wharton Online’s newest specialization provides fundamental concepts and application as the demand for ESG expertise in business increases.

Wharton Launches Online ESG Specialization on Coursera - News Wharton Online’s newest specialization provides fundamental concepts and application as the demand for ESG expertise in business increases PHILADELPHIA, February 10, 2022 — With more and more businesses committing to greater sustainability, there is growing demand for talent with environmental, ...

“We have seen ourselves as this test kitchen that really aims to disrupt the food industry and prove that it can feed a collective good.” Roma McCaig is Clif Bar & Company's Senior Vice President of Impact and Communications, leading sustainability strategy, community initiatives, corporate brand, and employee communications.

Read more in Knowledge@Wharton about how the company is on a mission to lift up people and the planet through sustainable practices.

How One Firm Has Baked Purpose into Its Business Model - Knowledge@Wharton Wharton’s Katherine Klein talks to Roma McCaig from Clif Bar & Company about living the company’s “five aspirations.”

Jay Bishen, WG’22, reflects on his internship at the Development Finance Corporation, a U.S. government agency.

Investing in Emerging Markets One Social Enterprise at a Time - Wharton Social Impact Initiative In recent years, emerging markets have captured the attention of global investors, but many promising businesses are unable to secure the capital they need to advance and grow. How can we increase access to funding in these markets? Jay Bishen, WG’22, worked on bridging this financing gap in his s...

A diverse group of leaders working in impact investing, social entrepreneurship, nonprofits, healthcare, and government make up this year’s Bendheim Loan Forgiveness winners. Since 2005, WSII’s John M. Bendheim Loan Forgiveness Fund has awarded over $2.3 million to 110+ alumni. Learn more.

14 Social Impact Leaders Receiving Loan Forgiveness Awards in 2022 - Wharton Social Impact Initiative The Wharton Social Impact Initiative is pleased to announce the 2022 recipients of the John M. Bendheim Loan Forgiveness Fund for Public Service. These 14 Bendheim Fellows are examples of Wharton alumni who are using their business acumen in finance, management, marketing, entrepreneurship, and more...

On the Dollars and Change podcast, Liesel Pritzker Simmons, Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative, discusses the work and strategy of her single-family office that focuses on impact investing and ESG. She also talks about why theater is the best major for a career in business, and dives into why she advocates for a wealth tax. Listen to the episode.

On Theater, Impact Investing, and Wealth Taxes with Liesel Pritzker Simmons, Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative | Dollars and Change Podcast Listen to On Theater, Impact Investing, and Wealth Taxes with Liesel Pritzker Simmons, Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative from Dollars and Change Podcast. Liesel Pritzker Simmons, Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact....

Hamsa Bastani, assistant professor of operations, information, and decisions at Wharton, discusses key findings from her research on how deep web data and machine learning can help law enforcement agencies investigate and intervene in human trafficking.

Research Spotlight: Prof. Hamsa Bastani on Using Machine Learning To Combat Human Trafficking - Wharton Social Impact Initiative In Wharton Social Impact’s “Research Spotlight” series, we highlight recent research by Wharton professors and doctoral students whose research focuses on the intersection of business and impact. This month, we spoke with Hamsa Bastani, assistant professor of operations, information, and decis...

"For wealthy investors who care about advancing the role of women in business and supporting workplaces that consider the needs of their female employees—there’s good news—many more privately managed funds are investing in companies with those goals." In this Barron's article, WSII Managing Director Sandi Hunt speaks about the field of gender lens investing and our Project Sage 4.0 report.

Future Returns: Gender-Lens Strategies Gain Even as Funds Come up Short Private investment vehicles dedicated to supporting women raise $6 billion through mid-2021

Penn President Amy Gutmann’s record tenure of nearly 18 years is the University’s most transformative.

Inspiring people, place, and purpose | Penn Today Penn President Amy Gutmann’s record tenure of nearly 18 years is the University’s most transformative.