A special event sponsored by Harvard Business School's Division of Research and Faculty Development, this conference is an outstanding opportunity to bring together committed scholars and corporate, non-profit and government leaders to discuss the role of business in poverty alleviation.

The aim of this conference is to explore how serving the poor can be a profitable business proposition that can help improve the lives of the world’s four billion impoverished men and women. By examining the social, economic and geographic conditions faced by the poor through case studies and empirical research, we will gain a deeper understanding of the many ways in which business can create value at the base of the economic pyramid. By extension, we will analyze and debate the characteristics of enterprises and leaders that have proven successful in this challenging marketplace. What do these business ventures look like? What managerial, operational and cultural obstacles have they overcome or avoided? Finally, we are interested in what impact this approach has on poverty itself. Under what circumstances can businesses reach down to poor consumers? Is business engagement alone sufficient to help the poor climb the economic ladder? What are the roles of government and civil society, both as principals and as partners?