Over the years, FIELD at the Aspen Institute has worked to strengthen the role of business ownership as an economic opportunity strategy by conducting research, evaluating new ideas and innovations, supporting leaders, and serving as a resource to donors and investors. As we enter 2018, I want to share our priorities and work as we continue to advance the potential of business ownership to address our nation’s pressing challenges of economic inequality and financial security.

  • Exploring opportunities to expand inclusion and build wealth through business ownership:

This year, FIELD will build on its efforts to explore business ownership as means to build a more equitable and inclusive economy. We will continue our work to highlight and expand the role of business ownership in closing the racial wealth gap.

  • Building the scale and impact of the microenterprise field:

We will continue to convene our Microfinance Impact Collaborative to advance the efforts and impact of leading microenterprise finance organizations, including releasing a paper on the connection between loan pricing and the scalability and impact of microlending. FIELD will continue to collect data on and make the case for the microenterprise industry.

  • Fostering an inclusive and responsible financial sector:

FIELD is committed to exploring how changes in our economy and technology are reshaping financial and labor markets. As part of our effort to foster a more fair and responsible financial sector, we will continue working with the Responsible Business Lending Coalition to examine how technology and other changes in the marketplace are transforming lending.

Read the full article about the FIELD strategies by Joyce Klein at The Aspen Institute.