The Double X Economy

Linda ScottDP World Professor for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The Big Picture

• New data since 1995: UN, WEF, others• First opportunity to compare women’s

status at the nation level across various social structures

• Challenge to folk theory, conventional wisdom

• Gender inequality– Real, measurable, worldwide– Massive negative effects

• Dangerous downsides, potential payoffs.

WEF Composite Gender Gap Score

Source: World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report, 2010. Countries included as market democracies were: Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Belgium, UK, Netherlands, United States, Canada, Luxembourg, Austria, France, Greece, and Italy. Countries included as former and current communist countries were: Latvia, Cuba, Moldova, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Poland, Russian Federation, Estonia, Bulgaria, Kyrgyz Republic, Croatia, China, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Georgia, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan. Countries included as subSaharan African countries were: Lesotho, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Uganda, Botswana, Tanzania, Malawi, Ghana, The Gambia, Madagascar, Angola, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Senegal, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and Chad.

Gender Development by Geography

UNHumanDevelopment reports

Research Agenda

• “In what ways can the market be harnessed to empower women?”

• Historical background in US• Investigate innovations

– Systems– Goods

• No silver bullets.