COORDINATOR
Daniel Hsu, Harvard Kennedy School and MIT Sloan School of Management

Public-private partnerships are increasingly being lauded as innovative solutions to development issues. But at the end of the day what is their real value? What are the drivers for a major multi-national corporation to work with a government in a PPP and vice versa? How do these partnerships get built and who builds them? And ultimately, do they actually deliver the impact, scale and sustainability needed for good development? This panel brings together players from the business, government, and nonprofit worlds to speak from their unique perspectives about making their public-private partnership work, their value and their headaches.

COORDINATOR
Julie Morel and Priya Gandhi, Harvard Kennedy School

Infrastructure development has been identified as one of the main bottlenecks for many developing countries. The financing gap has been the major driver of the growing enthusiasm for private involvement. However, experience shows that in many developing countries, in particular the poorest, the private sector is still reluctant to step in. This panel will focus on the issues associated with the involvement of the Private sector in Infrastructure Financing. We will address: (i) the drivers of private investment, (ii) the risks which the private sector faces, and (iii) the responsibility of the Public Sector in alleviating those risks. The panel will draw on experiences and perspectives from contractors, investment banks, and multilaterals.

COORDINATORS
Turknekah Noble and Anjali Doshi, Harvard Kennedy School

Following the recent surge in investment activity in India and China, investors are now also looking at other new frontiers for alternative investments. This panel seeks to explore the opportunities in other emerging economies and appropriate investment strategies. The key question underlying the discussion is how these investments contribute to overall economic development in emerging markets. Panelists will discuss potential pitfalls, best practices, and assessment of development impacts when entering these markets.

COORDINATORS
Harpreet Singh, MIT Sloan School of Management; Brian Elliot, Harvard Kennedy School; Ignacio Vargas, MIT

The world of business is changing in the developing world, as evidenced by the explosive growth of sustainable and socially oriented businesses (e.g. those with products or services that are both for-profit and have positive social impact.) Also changing rapidly are the organizations that fund these ventures. Entrepreneurs and funders on this panel will explore how “multiple bottom line ventures” in emerging markets can be financially profitable, what competencies they require for success, and how they overcome common challenges.