Small businesses and AI: Accelerating innovation and inclusion

About the Center

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Highly confident, women entrepreneurs still face systemic barriers

Focus Areas

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How data and AI can drive change: 4 ways forward

Events

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Unlocking the power of small businesses to drive climate-smart inclusive growth

Insights

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(Footer) About the Center

(Footer) Focus Areas

(Footer) Events

(Footer) Insights

Early in the pandemic, the number of people applying for unemployment insurance skyrocketed, and the public benefits systems struggled to keep up. When these systems became overwhelmed or unresponsive, people turned to Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms. State, local, and federal policymakers can learn from this experience frustrated users of public systems are creating roadmaps to help them improve government services.

As our lives become increasingly digital, the economic gap between those who can leverage technology to get by and get ahead, and the many who cannot, is only widening. There has never been a more important time to build a digital economy that works for everyone, everywhere. Along with founding partner, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Aspen is bringing together thinkers and doers to tackle this urgent crisis.Launched in October 2019 with an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.globalinclusivegrowthsummit.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="font-size: 16px;">inaugural summit</a>, the Global Inclusive Growth Partnership (GIGP) combines the expertise and networks of both the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aspeninstitute.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="font-size: 16px;">Aspen Institute</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth&nbsp;to address systemic issues across a range of topics including financial security, the future of workers and portable benefits, growing micro and small businesses, and commercially-sustainable social impact. Through research, synthesis, and&nbsp;convenings, GIGP aims to catalyze new partnerships and shine a spotlight on innovative, data-driven, and scalable solutions to build a more inclusive and resilient economy for all.Our work is anchored by four pillars:Financial InclusionShaping the next- generation global financial inclusion agenda to move beyond access and count financial security outcomes as the measure of success.Benefits21Modernizing benefits design &amp; delivery to address the needs of today’s workforce with a new system of worker-centered, tech-enabled portable benefits.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/benefits21/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="font-size: 16px;">Learn more.&nbsp;</a>Supporting StriversDriving innovation and scale in the systems that support micro and small businesses domestically and globally, and catalyzing deeper support for Striver success as a cornerstone of inclusive growth in a digital economy.Corporate LeadershipFostering and activating private-sector leadership in support of inclusive growth

Aspen Institute

Through research, synthesis, and convenings, GIGP aims to catalyze new partnerships and scalable solutions to build a more inclusive and resilient economy for all.

Social Listening: Covid-19, Social Media, and The Path to a Better Safety Net