The Impact Entrepreneur: Building a New Platform for Economic Security in Work - RSA

The impact entrepreneur: building a new platform for economic security in work

Report

  • Business and entrepreneurship
  • Economy

This report describes how a unique partnership between the RSA, ALT/Now, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and the Mastercard Impact Fund took on the challenge of exploring the action needed to combat economic insecurity in the future of work.

What we are witnessing right now is a time of profound change. The shape of work is being refashioned in front of our eyes and predictions abound about the impacts of new technologies on jobs. Work is becoming more flexible, more independent and more tech-enabled. With these shifts, issues around economic security become more acute.

As the working landscape shifts, it is critical that society can respond and address urgent questions that arise from change.

In this report we consider the problem: while the old model of a 'job for life' provided security for most of the workforce for nearly thirty years, now security has become a commodity increasingly reserved for the highly skilled and networked.

We explore the policy landscape and ask how we might move from research to action. We outline the case for the ‘impact entrepreneur’ – entrepreneurs who want to take on population-level challenges, and look at how building a strong field of people working on laws, funding systems, regulations, norms and public services is vital to this. Finally, we consider what a bright future of work might be – for everyone, not just those in paid employment – and set out next steps for this future.

Download the report (pdf, 1.5 MB)

 

Read Rowan Conway's blog: Why the future of work needs 'impact enterpreneurs'

Contributors

Picture of Rowan Conway
Former Director of Development

Picture of Charles Leadbeater
Future Work Awards founder and partner, ALT/Now

Picture of Jennie Winhall
Social innovator and service designer