Putting Poverty in Museums: Strategies to Encourage the Creation of the For-Profit Social Business

Abstract

In Creating a World Without Poverty, Muhammad Yunus introduces the social business model which aims to provide a social benefit, not just a monetary profit. This model is distinct from a typical non-profit charity because investors expect to eventually recover their financial contributions to the social business. Yunus describes the Danone Communities mutual fund’s ability to protect the company from liability to shareholders for lack of a monetary profit while simultaneously providing food to malnourished children in Bangladesh. This Comment examines two different successful social business structures and argues that companies have yet to embrace this innovative model due to a lack of clear guidelines for this type of business in United States corporate law. The enactment of mutual fund regulations encouraging the creation of this forprofit sustainable social business would allow it to be very successful in reducing poverty.