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NotesEconomics HLTopic 4.10Institutional change and social enterprise
Back to Economics HL Topics
4.10.63 min read

Institutional change and social enterprise (Economics HL)

IB Economics · Unit 4

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Contents

  1. 1Access to banking
  2. 2Rights, women and honest government
  3. 3Social enterprise
  4. 4Exam-style question

Institutional change, first: access to banking.

Access to banking

1

Microfinance

Small loans to people with no collateral. Bangladesh's Grameen Bank lends mostly to women.

Loans
2

Mobile banking

Save and send money by phone. Kenya's M-Pesa has done this since 2007.

Phones
3

Savings accounts

A safe place to save, so savings can be lent to others.

Saving
A poverty cycle: low income, then low savings, then low investment in human and physical capital, then low productivity, then low output and growth, back to low income; microfinance loans raises low investment in human and physical capital.
Microfinance raises investment in small businesses.

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Other institutional changes give people rights and trust.

Rights, women and honest government

1

Property and land rights

A legal title lets land back a loan and makes improving it worthwhile.

Titles
2

Women's empowerment

Schooling, credit and land for women raise output and children's health.

Women
3

Less corruption

Fewer bribes cut firms' costs; public money reaches schools and clinics.

Honesty

The points to remember

  • Each change raises investment or human capital: say which.
  • Land titles: land can be collateral for a loan.

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A social enterprise is a business whose main aim is social or environmental: it sells, then reinvests its profit in that aim.

What a social enterprise is

1

A charity

Lives on donations; gives help away.

Gifts
2

A social enterprise

Sells goods or services, then reinvests profit in a social aim.

Trades for good
3

A profit-seeking firm

Sells to earn profit for its owners.

Profit

The points to remember

  • Strength: it pays its own way, so it lasts without donors.
  • Limit: it is small, and may struggle to earn enough.

Paper 2 asked this in May 2023, for 4 marks; May 2025 asked it about a micro-loan fund.

IB-style questionExplain[4 marks]

Text D says that a rural finance scheme now gives small loans to farmers in Ardena.

Using a poverty cycle diagram, explain how the scheme could raise farmers' incomes.

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How the 4 marks are given

MarksWhat your answer needs
3–4A correct diagram and a correct explanation
1–2A correct diagram or a correct explanation, not both
3 at mostA diagram with a wrong or missing label

IB Exam Questions on Institutional change and social enterprise

Practice with IB-style questions filtered to Topic 4.10.6. Get instant AI feedback on every answer.

Practice Topic 4.10.6 QuestionsBrowse All Economics HL Topics

How Institutional change and social enterprise Appears in IB Exams

Examiners use specific command terms when asking about this topic. Here's what to expect:

  • Define

    Give the precise meaning of key terms related to Institutional change and social enterprise.

    AO1
  • Describe

    Give a detailed account of processes or features in Institutional change and social enterprise.

    AO2
  • Explain

    Give reasons WHY — cause and effect within Institutional change and social enterprise.

    AO3
  • Evaluate

    Weigh strengths AND limitations of approaches in Institutional change and social enterprise.

    AO3
  • Discuss

    Present arguments FOR and AGAINST with a balanced conclusion.

    AO3

See the full IB Command Terms guide

Related Economics HL Topics

Continue learning with these related topics from the same unit:

4.1.1Benefits of international trade4.1.2Free trade on a diagram: exports and imports4.1.3Absolute and comparative advantage (HL)4.1.4Limitations of comparative advantage (HL)
View all Economics HL topics
Improve your exam techniqueCommand terms, paper structure, and mark-scheme tips for Economics HL
Previous4.10.5Foreign aid and multilateral assistanceNextEvaluating development strategies4.10.7

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