COVID-19 has exacerbated income inequalities and social disparities across Asia, serving as a force multiplier for trends already in place. Assessing performance across four sub-indexes – Regulations, Tax and Fiscal Policy, Ecosystem, and Procurement – CAPS’ biennial flagship study, the Doing Good Index 2022, examines the social investment landscape in Asia. Read here.

According to the Doing Good Index 2022, which analyses the social investment landscape in Asia, Covid-19 has exacerbated social disparities and income inequalities and across the region. We talk to Dr. Ruth Shapiro, the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS), which conducts the study biennially, about the pandemic’s impact on people in Asia, her work and improving Hong Kong’s social sector. Read here.

Companies in Vietnam are increasingly integrating social and environmental considerations into their business development strategy, according to this report by MSD Vietnam. Approaches to corporate social responsibility (CSR) are becoming more professional, with responsibilities taken on within the high-level leadership of the business. However, many companies still find evaluating the impact challenging. The report also explores the willingness of companies to collaborate with civil society organizations (CSOs). Barriers to collaboration and some potential solutions are discussed at length. A key recommendation of the report is for greater networking between businesses and CSOs in order to build communication and capacity to create shared value. Read it here.

Almost half of Asia’s social delivery organisations have reported a decline in funding in the last 12 months, some as much as 50 percent, according to new research. The Hong Kong-based Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS) surveyed more than 2,000 entities and some 120 experts across 17 Asian economies, including India, Pakistan, China, and Singapore. Read here.

Covid-19 has exacerbated income inequalities and social disparities across Asia, serving as a force multiplier for trends already in place. A new social impact study released today by the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS) shows how to maximize philanthropic and policy responses to cope with these post-Covid challenges. Read here.

Doing Good Index microsite

Our interactive microsite lets you visualize, explore and compare our data. Use our graphics and maps to help you understand Asia at a glance. The data dashboard allows you to compare economies and track changes across time. Economy profiles present a visual and digestible deep dive into each economy.

What is the Doing Good Index?

The Doing Good Index 2022 is the most comprehensive social impact index in Asia to date, highlighting the factors that drive or hinder private capital flowing towards social and economic challenges across 17 Asian economies.

The Doing Good Index comes at a critical time when economies have been heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Inequalities have been exacerbated, and hard-won progress in social and economic growth has been undone. An estimated two-thirds of those newly forced into poverty live in South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific.

To address these shared challenges, all parts of society—individuals, companies, government and the social sector—must work together to drive more resources towards building a better future together. The Doing Good Index shows how. It provides a roadmap of the policies and practices that can unleash this capital by mitigating the trust deficit; leveraging local support; and facilitating cross-sector collaboration.

In 2022 we surveyed 2,239 SDOs and interviewed 126 experts across 17 Asian economies. In mapping the landscape of social investment, the study examines four sub-indices: Regulations, Tax and Fiscal Policy, Ecosystem, and Procurement. We also include a section on how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the social sector.

The Doing Good Index is published every two years. Read the inaugural edition from 2018 and our 2020 edition.

This report identifies trends in impact investing and gender lens investing in Southeast Asia. It builds on the 2018 report, The Landscape for Impact Investing in Southeast Asia, with updated data on impact investing deals and capital for the period 2017-2019. Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam together possess over half of the region’s impact investing deals. Despite growing markedly during the study period, challenges remain in scaling up gender lens investments. Covid-19 brings additional uncertainty, although it could drive an increase in in-country partnerships and co-investments. Read it here.

This report examines the support ecosystem for climate and environmental entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia and identifies challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurship to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy in the region. The findings are based on a survey of 221 support organizations, conducted in six Southeast Asian economies that are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and/or are the most vulnerable to climate disasters: Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The report offers insights on the set of organizations supporting entrepreneurs and gives specific recommendations on ways that support organizations, the private sector and governments can help boost the ecosystem for climate and environmental entrepreneurs.

The publication is part of ANDE’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Snapshots, which provide practitioner-focused information to small and growing businesses.

Read it here.

This report consolidates findings and maps the current social innovations landscape in higher education institutions across several East Asia economies, including Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and South Korea. Higher education institutions are seen as critical incubators of social innovation and can help develop solutions to complex local problems. The study employs a mixed methods approach in gathering data: using desktop research, an online survey, interviews and focus groups with stakeholders from the higher education ecosystem. The report concludes with recommendations at the practice, institutional and systemic levels for all economies examined. Read it here.

Our DECODED series unpacks, explains and crystallizes issues critical for social investment in Asia. DECODED draws upon CAPS’ expertise in research, and access to an extensive network of sector experts and philanthropists in 18 Asian economies. This enables us to identify emerging trends in the region. Through DECODED, we translate these concepts into digestible insights.

This inaugural DECODED synthesizes how the social sector across Asia has risen to the occasion in responding to Covid-19, and what comes next. We end with recommendations for philanthropists, corporates and policymakers who want to invest in helping Asia’s social sectors thrive.