NABET, NABET 2016 Conference

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An Integrated Approach to Measuring the Economic and Social Impact of Investment in Small NGOs in West Bengal, India
Jayanti Bandyopadhyay, Linda A. Hall, Gautam Bandyopadhyay, Arun Deb

Last modified: 2017-03-25

Abstract


This paper describes the results of a study of the economic and social impact of investment in, and the operations of two women's empowerment non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in rural villages in West Bengal, India.   Baseline measurements and initial statistical analysis of data collected show evidence of positive social and economic impact and therefore program success, but economic impact is not quantifiable in all cases.  From an accountant’s perspective, an opportunity exists to provide relevant stakeholders with meaningful training and tools to measure the relative return (social as well as financial) on investment in programs. We propose combining methods inspired by Christensen’s Job-To-Be-Done framework, Brest et al.’s Expected Return formula, and concepts from Kaplan and Norton’s Balanced Scorecard to develop a practical means for small NGOs to measure relative impact and allocate limited resources.


Keywords


impact investment; NGOs; social accounting; return on social investment; Balanced Scorecard; Job To Be Done; women's empowerment; self-help groups