ABSTRACT
According to a study carried out by the Monitor Institute in 2009, impact investing has been proposed as a new industry characterized by various and uncoordinated experiences but with a huge potential in terms of role and expansion within the next decade, with an expected market size of $500 billion. Global Impact Investing Network —the best known network of operators and institutions, especially in the financial sector, monitoring this sector—is the principal advocate for the thesis of "non-additionality". It is also important to understand the role of the public sector in developed countries, where it is the main provider and funder of social services and it acts by either delivering directly those services or by financing organizations to provide those services via outsourcing. Considering the growing interest in impact investing, it is important to find ways to transform this successful commercial interest into a concrete and measurable improvement for society.
