From visions of promise to signs of struggle: social impact bonds in Canada, the US, and UK

This report seeks to move beyond the polarizsed debate around social impact bonds (SIBs). It focuses instead on the state of the SIB market and the challenges, barriers, and frustrations that SIB specialists have encountered in their efforts to grow this market. With funding from a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), James Williams spent the past three years travelling through the “SIB space” in Canada, the US, and the UK speaking with SIB specialists, investors, providers, and members of government. The report, From Visions of Promise to Signs of Struggle: Exploring Social Impact Bonds and the Funding of Social Services in Canada, the U.S., and the UK, is the result of that journey.

This report sets out the common dilemma for SIBs across the three countries. It highlights what this means for the future of SIBs, as well as setting out six principles for the future of SIBs. You can read a blog post by the author here.